Careful
by reiko.souma
Summary: Zero Kiryū's hatred of vampires, has it gotten out of hand? When Yagarī gets involved, what will become of the Day Class student that Zero's been crying vampire at all this time? Hints of YxOC pairing, mature content in the future
1. Open Your Eyes

This story is portrayed from the manga perspective (for example, there will be cursing to better illustrate the characters' true natures), but the visual references (for example, Yagarī's ice-blue eye) are portrayed from the anime perspective. Rated M for mature language, sexual references and eventual actions, and general content not safe for minours younger than seventeen years. You've been warned.

Disclaimer: Vampire Knight, along with its characters and locations, belong to Matsuri Hino. Reiko Souma, her parents and people of her hometown and prior residence, Shourim Manti, and Scian'tlo (not an actual village on the U.S. Virgin Islands) belong to me.

This is another attempt at an ongoing story. Please let me know how I'm doing with a review!

* * *

 _"Souma-san! Souma-san! Wake up, Souma-san! We have to get out of here now!" The voice sounded so far away, even though it was coming from right next to her. Suddenly, she stopped hearing anything at all._

Earlier...

The pink-headed student sat at a small desk in her bedroom. Another day of lectures at the university level has left her with a pile of homework that she was determined to complete before midnight. Most of the work was done already, but Ethical Evolution was proving more difficult than she cared to admit. How was every question taking her so much time to answer correctly?

Looking at the notebook in front of her, any unaware student would think of Reiko as crazy. Every question had been answered in great detail, each response a paragraph long. They looked correct, but to her they weren't correct enough. When they weren't correct enough, they had might as well be wrong.

Reiko was a perfectionist workaholic.

She was also at the point of absolute frustration. Now down to the last question, she was searching for the best way to answer it. "Ugh...what the Hell? It's just one question! Why does the answer elude me?" Too frustrated to continue, the young woman put her pencil down and shut the notebook with a bookmark on the page where her notes were. Leaving it on top of her open book, she stood and retrieved her Katana from beneath her pillow. Then she reached for her pink hair elastic that was always around her wrist and pulled her waist-length bubblegum pink hair away from her face.

Patrols always relaxed her mood. No matter what the weather was like at that moment, Reiko always felt better afterwards. Most of her patrols consisted of her walking around the Academy grounds with her Katana going unused as it sat within its sheath, strapped around her at a diagonal angle by a black leather strap. It was strapped to her now; Reiko was ready to start her patrol.

How to get outside? Curfew was in effect, albeit she had been given the duty as the newest Prefect based on her background with vampires. Strange as it was though, she enjoyed going outside through her window more than she enjoyed using the door like a "normal" person. "Hm." What a relative term. "Here's to hoping I don't step on anyone's toes this time." Reiko had no pleasure in crossing the other guardians' paths, ever, and kept quiet as she made her way outside.

Graduating at the top of her secondary school class had gone without saying. Her marks had been absolutely perfect, even after a confusing twist of circumstances that led to her learning about her family caused her to miss so many classes. Her overall identity had come under heavy scrutiny just before her final exams, and at such an inconvenient time. Her anemia had started to act up again.

 _It's so odd, really...my anemia hasn't acted up since then. I wonder why?_ That is, her condition seemed more stable now. It wasn't her first time having to miss classes due to her anemia, but it was her first time having to miss the entire last month of classes. _Well,it could always be worse. It isn't worse._

Fresh cool air greeted the pink-headed woman as she opened the main doors to the Sun Dormitory. She had decided to use the door instead of her window this time; what a switch. Her Katana's sheath made a soft clinking sound against her back as she walked along the stone path. So far, so quiet. Perhaps this would be an easy night.

Were Yūki and Zero already asleep for the night? It surely couldn't be that late. _Sigh._ Reiko took a left off of the pathway and passed through the west side of the forest. Most who violated the rules were found in the forest, out of the sight of everyone else. Even if the woman remained on the path, her senses were too acute to not notice if someone was making a sound. How she could see and hear so well, she didn't understand. Neither did she understand how she could smell the sulphuric stench of vampires.

"You're still searching, aren't you?" An unfamiliar male's voice came from her right and reeked of the strongest scent of a vampire. Turning quickly, she came across a very tall crimson-eyed brunette in a white uniform. What was he doing here? He should be inside. "There's no need to reach for your Katana, Souma-san. I'm Kaname Kuran, president of the Night Class. I've been monitoring your progress with the Headmaster's permission."

Reiko shook her head slowly. "President or not, you're not on the list of students who have permission to be wandering about. You're to go to class or return to your dormitory at once." A sudden wind whipped up at her words. Since when did her words come with any form of power in physical form? The wind calmed as soon as she stopped speaking, but didn't die. Kaname took note of this as he stepped closer. "Step back now, Kuran-san, and abide by the rules set forth by the Headmaster." The wind whipped up violently with her words and, as she frowned, didn't even calm down.

 _It's just as I thought._ Kaname stopped with the beginning traces of a smile forming. _She can control the weather, but she doesn't even realise it. Is she that oblivious to her hidden status?_ The tall man didn't let the wind deter him from coming even closer until he was standing directly in front of her. "You swear by the life as a human and refuse your obvious identity as a vampire. It's that fight that I admire."

Reiko's frown deepened into an all-out scowl. Her hand instantly reached for her Katana and drew it. "My duties as a huntress in-training are limited only to the protection hunts and elimination of the Deranged on the grounds of self-defence, but eliminating a Pureblood who provokes me will make a bunch of vampire hunters happy and jealous if I'm provoked. Now step back before I act!"

Now the wind was howling, and it was waking some of the Day Class students. Yagarī, who was still awake grading papers from the high school students, stopped when he heard the wind whipping up into a gust and walked to the window. There, in the forest, stood Reiko and Kaname. _That vampire!_ Yagarī retrieved his hunter's gun and ran from his teacher's dorm at once. This was her first encounter with a Pureblood outside of her village! He had to step in before somebody got hurt.

The angrier Reiko got, the more violent the weather became. However, when Kaname finally took a couple of steps backwards, the violent gust calmed itself some. The woman waited for him to take a few more steps back and wouldn't be satisfied until after he did so. "You'll find your real parents and the answers to the rest of your questions in due time. Until then-"

"You'll leave her alone, or be the proud recipient of the bullet which will end your existence." Yagarī! The incredibly tall man had taught her Ethics class during her years at the Academy's secondary level. He had also learnt a lot about her outside of the classroom, which included the most private aspects of her personal life. So much for keeping that separate from her academic life, but it couldn't be helped. The two shared a secret that nobody else in the Academy knew of, not even the Headmaster.

That secret was only part of the eye patch-wearing man's reason for coming to the woman's rescue now. As he did teach one of her psychology courses as well, she was still his student. He had a duty to protect his students from all harm; his most important duty was as a vampire hunter. Whenever one of "those filthy creatures" threatened a human, his duties as a hunter took priority over his duties as a teacher. Right now, his duty was to protect his student from the filth standing before him.

 _Tōga-sensei..._ A pair of deep pink hues widened slightly as her teacher stood behind Kaname, gun raised at the back of his head. Seeing the hunter raise his gun to anybody wasn't anything new to the young woman, who continued to hold her Katana in her hand. It wasn't going to be sheathed until the Pureblood was gone, which meant the wind was also going to continue howling until then as well.

"Fair enough. I apologise for my froward actions...Souma-san." As Kaname started to walk off, Reiko could have sworn she heard his voice inside of her head, telling her, _"Your past will surely catch up with you."_ What was that supposed to mean, and where did that come from? Reiko slid to her knees and let her Katana's blade land on the ground in front of her. It had taken her too long to find out that she had been kidnapped from her hometown by a pair of Purebloods, both of whom were now dead, and she was really twenty-one. Her senses being so keen? She knew nothing about the real reason behind that.

Yagarī's gun returned to its rightful place behind his back, a holster which matched the leather coat he usually wore. Seeing the young woman on her knees with that stunned expression on her face concerned him in an un-Yagarī-like way; he didn't usually show that he cared for anyone except for Zero, Ichirū, Kaien, or those he truly loved. "Are you all right? Did he hurt you?"

Hearing the other's words broke through her thoughts and showed as the flicker in her eyes. "I-I'm fine. He didn't hurt me," Reiko said with the initial stammer that didn't suit her. She allowed Yagarī to help her onto her feet and pick her Katana up from the ground. He could see that she wasn't really fine. "I almost used my Katana...to end his life." The wind finally calmed down, only now it was starting to rain. "I almost jeopardised my chances of a promising future by attempting to kill my first Pureblood." She couldn't believe that she had nearly broken the rules for the sake of a vampire.

Her forming tears were halted by the tall man's arms pulling her close to him in a hug. "He got to you, Reiko," he said before letting go. He could tell that the woman's countenance had changed. "I'm ending your patrol for the night. You're in no emotional state to continue. Let's go." With Reiko leading the way, he walked by her side with his arm around her waist. Once inside, he led her to his own quarters.

"What-?" Yagarī cut her off by pressing his lips to hers. Wrapping his arms around her, he held her to him. This woman had done more than earn his respect, and that didn't include the one time they had slept together last year.

However, Reiko couldn't stay still tonight. "I have to keep going," she said when they had ended the kiss. She had to finish her patrol and then finish her homework. "I'm sorry...I cannot stay here tonight. The others are already starting to suspect something." Although Yagarī had a bad feeling about her going back out, he knew better than to stop her. She usually did make very good points that couldn't be argued against, so he sat on his bed and watched her go with concern etched all over his face. He wasn't about to voice that to anyone else, though.

Tonight's patrol brought Reiko to the first-level roof outside of the second-floor classroom. Some of the Night Class students were incredibly bored and stared ahead. Kaname was staring directly at her as her back was turned to the window. Reiko was staring intently ahead, so the Pureblood turned back around.

 _That damn woman! I'll prove once and for all that she really is a vampire!_ Zero stepped forward all too silently. He saw how distracted she was that it made her completely oblivious to his presence. That made his job incredibly easy. He suddenly ran at her and shoved her from the roof with all his might before running off.


	2. Time Out

This story is portrayed from the manga perspective (for example, there will be cursing to better illustrate the characters' true natures), but the visual references (for example, Yagarī's ice-blue eye) are portrayed from the anime perspective. Rated M for mature language, sexual references and eventual actions, and general content not safe for minours younger than seventeen years. You've been warned.

Disclaimer: Vampire Knight, along with its characters and locations, belong to Matsuri Hino. Reiko Souma, her parents and people of her hometown and prior residence, Shourim Manti, and Scian'tlo (not an actual village on the U.S. Virgin Islands) belong to me.

This is another attempt at an ongoing story. Please let me know how I'm doing with a review!

* * *

What was once a peaceful moment in the evening suddenly became a chaos of weather. Storm clouds rolled in and started to pour down rain with seemingly no end. It rained all around the facedown and barely conscious Reiko, but it didn't rain _on_ her. How strange.

Kaname was the first to sense something amiss with the weather, and he turned to find the woman no longer on the roof.

That was when the cries could be heard from below: "Souma-san! Souma-san! Wake up, Souma-san! We have to get out of here now!" The voice sounded so far away, even though it was coming from right next to her. Suddenly, she stopped hearing anything at all.

—•—•—•—

Yagarī answered the persistent knocks at his door to find an unhinging Zero standing on the other side, breathing heavily. "What is it?" he asked gruffly. "You did _what?!"_ Yagarī demanded when the silver-haired man told him of what he had done to Reiko. "Where is she?"

"Right where I left her, Master. Follow the rain! It started to pour right after she hit the ground! That's got to prove that she's a vampire!" Although the hunter didn't believe that about the weather, he allowed his idiotic apprentice to lead him to the very spot where Reiko had landed. One of the Day Class students, clearly out past her curfew, was trying to wake the fallen woman up. "Go back to your dorm. Now!" Zero ordered, glaring at the girl. She got up and ran off.

Meanwhile, Yagarī was checking the woman for injuries. She clearly had a concussion, but nothing seemed to be broken. Taking note of how she had landed on her back, his only conclusion was that she had tried to break her fall at the last second. It couldn't have stopped her from hitting her head hard, though. "You're coming with me to the Headmaster, Kiryū-kun," Yagarī told the angry Prefect. Confident that there were no broken bones or otherwise other tricky injuries, he picked the woman up and carried her inside.

—•—•—•—

The gauntlet came down inside of the Headmaster's office. "You've been holding a grudge against Souma-san since she first came to this academy, Zero. It's very much out of hand now," Kaien told the young man standing before him. Was he that determined to prove that the woman was a vampire? "Listen to me, she may come across as a vampire to you because she received blood from a Pureblood through a blood transfusion several years ago. She was taken from her parents and forced to receive that transfusion against her will, but she's as human as the rest of the Day Class students!"

Now he chooses to tell Zero all of this. It would have been more useful to tell him these things a bit sooner! The shock on the silver-haired man's face made him look like a little boy, though. "How can that be?" Zero asked after a long moment. "How can a human receive vampire blood and not know that she's actually a vampire?

The answer was easy. Her memories had been completely suppressed by the Purebloods who had kidnapped her. Reiko knew nothing about her actual parents, who were still being located. They could be anywhere in the world. "She doesn't know about any of this, so it's important that she doesn't find out from any of us...or from Kaname-kun," Kaien asserted.

—•—•—•—

 _"Your past will surely catch up to you."_ Kaname's words echoed through the young woman's mind as she came to. Were those really his words, or simply the power of suggestion? As her eyes slowly opened, the woman immediately found herself dealing with a migraine. Boy, did it hurt! Her hands went to her head right away. This had to be a concussion.

What had happened to her? One look to her right revealed an IV and wires stuck to a catheter in her arm; a look to her left rewarded her eyes with a series of monitors and wires attached to both it and her head and heart. _I'd better not try to sit up on my own,_ was her bright idea. All she could remember was falling from the roof and trying to break her fall before landing hard. Before that, she had been standing on the roof outside of the second floor classroom. The ground was solid, which meant that someone with a grudge had pushed her...but who?

Sighing, Reiko started to go through her list of possible suspects. Who would want to do such a thing? Yagarī and Kaien were immediately ruled out. Yūki? She was too nice. Kaname? He was in class and had been ordered to stay away from the woman. Zero? He had attacked her in her own dorm room once before, so she wouldn't put it past him to do so again. To push her from the roof, though? What was he thinking?

"Good. You're finally awake," came Yagarī's gruff voice as he walked through the door that he had opened. Reiko's eyes shifted to peer at him, watching him pull up a chair and sit by the bed. "You're lucky to be alive, though I'm pretty sure you already figured out that my idiot apprentice is responsible." She nodded slowly and with a wince. It hurt to move her head. "How much of tonight do you remember?"

Leave it to him to ask that question. Not only did it hurt to move her head, it was almost too painful to think. Her low groan confirmed that when she narrowed her eyes. "I'd gone back out on patrol after my encounter with Kuran-san, despite that look on your face that you were trying to suppress. It was nice and quiet until I stood on the roof outside of the Night Class...and that's when Kiryū-san pushed me. I heard someone trying to say something to me once I landed, but...I couldn't make out what they were saying. I lost it and woke up here...how long have I been out for, Yagarī?"

Five hours. That wasn't a good sign. "Zero's been sent to the basement of the Academy to be dealt with accordingly." Kaien was going to suspend him for a month due to the seriousness of Reiko's injury. It was serious enough that she had to stay in the infirmary for just as long as Zero's suspension, if not longer. How bad was it, exactly? "It's bad. Kaien has to send your guardian and your doctor in to discuss how this will affect your condition." The hunter's hand reached out and cupped Reiko's chin from underneath. The two of them tended to share these soft moments in private.

"I have faith that Fate will prolong my health and allow me to recover." She reached out her hand for him, and he moved closer. His free hand took hold of hers whilst his other moved up to stroke her cheek. "Was I not born into a battle for my own life?" she asked just before Yagarī softly pressed his lips to hers.

Battling for her own life. Those words brought on a sudden realisation that hadn't before processed...until now. _She **has** been fighting for her life since the very beginning. That's why she's able to stand up to vampires so bravely._ Yagarī ended the kiss before sitting back in the chair. There was no official relationship between them, nor did either of them have it on their minds. It was a matter that was enjoyed privately, such as now.

Yagarī took note of the pain on the woman's face with indifference. "Just as little gets by you as it does me, eh," she stated to the man's surprise. The look on his face was priceless. "I don't know why you look so surprised. My concussion hasn't affected my intelligence any." Now a smirk took the place of the surprised look on his face. "That's more like it." Reiko laid her head back on the bed once more after raising it to a slightly reclined position. She didn't want to have to stare up at the lights whenever she blinked or woke up in this room. "Yagarī. This doesn't change my opinion of Kiryū-san...I'll still give him the respect that he deserves, even though he's attacked me twice now. He just didn't think before he acted."

The woman had to pinch both of her cheeks in order to stay awake. She knew better than to allow herself to fall asleep during the first day of her having a concussion, particularly when coupled with anemia. What else could she do to stay awake? She reached for her Katana and unsheathed it. It needed to be cleaned again. When was the last time she cleaned the blade anyways? Certainly a while had passed if she had to think about it.

Watching as she inspected her sword, Yagarī made himself more comfortable in the chair. He stared out the window blankly, every so often glancing back at the woman to make sure she was still awake. He really wasn't good at this, keeping another company, but Reiko wasn't just any other woman.

"Hey. Wake up," he said when Reiko started to nod off with her Katana across her lap. Giving her arm a gentle shake, her eyes fluttered open. "You can sleep all you want later. Not now." So began those reminders. Reiko glanced down to find her Katana still sitting there on her lap.

"Sorry." She rubbed her eyes and picked up her Katana. Then she held it out for the man to take. "As long as I'm in this condition, I'm not to be trusted with wielding it. Please keep it away from me until we know for sure that I'm out of the woods." Entirely against this as she was, it was a sensible decision to make. Her head was pounding worse than ever now, but that wasn't all that was bothering her.

It was her throat. Reiko suddenly felt like she hadn't drank anything in days, even though she remembered having her last bottle of water hours before her patrol, and it hurt like pine needles stabbing her. Her hands went to her throat painfully. "Reiko, what's wrong?" Now she was used to her throat being dry to the point of hurting. What she wasn't used to was this oddly warm taste on her tongue. What was it? It had a slightly metallic taste to it, almost like vitamins and minerals that she was used to eating with her food.

Among the most prominent of these was the iron from her daily medicine. Speaking of such, she hasn't taken her iron pills yet. "My medicine...is it morning yet? I have to take my medicine just after sunrise." The woman changed the subject so suddenly. How unlike her. _This can't be the taste of...blood?_ So suddenly did those words come back to her. How exactly would her past catch up with her?

 _"Your past will surely catch up with you._ Those words came back to her. Go away, already! Her hands moved from her throat to her ears. Her intent focus on trying to banish what she thought were Kaname's words made her oblivious to Yagarī moving from the chair onto the bed in front of her and lightly shaking her shoulders to get her attention. Reiko may be his best student who had his attention in more than one way, but he still thought of her as a somewhat troublesome woman.

"I don't want anymore people in my head!" the woman shouted. "Not that vampire who tried to kidnap me, not Kuran-san, nobody! I just want to live a happy life!" Then, just as quickly as she had shouted those things without thinking, the woman lowered her hands to her side and raised her head. Her eyes were void of any emotion, not shining that bright pink that Yagarī was used to. They almost seemed...dull.

She also pushed the tall man onto his back and leaned over him. What was going on with her? "You know, Yagarī, I think you're delicious." Her hands were planted between his head as she spoke. What an eery tone she used. "I'm going to prove everybody right, and myself wrong, right now." Reiko leaned her head closer to his. Lower it went, her tongue sliding out and running itself up the right side of his neck slowly. "I'm going...to turn you into a vampire."

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Oh my! What's going on here? Don't forget to leave a review! =^.^=


	3. Change Me

Disclaimer: Vampire Knight, along with its characters and locations, belong to Matsuri Hino. Reiko Souma, her parents and people of her hometown and prior residence, Shourim Manti, and Scian'tlo (not an actual village on the U.S. Virgin Islands) belong to me.

Kaname Kuran may come across as a little out of character in this chapter. I apologise to the Kaname fans in advance for this.

Thank you to those who reviewed! It wasn't many, but I look forward to seeing more reviews in the following chapters. All reviews will be answered at the end of the chapter. :)

* * *

 _"I'm going to prove everybody right, and myself wrong, right now." Reiko leaned her head closer to his. Lower it went, her tongue sliding out and running itself up the right side of his neck slowly. "I'm going...to turn you into a vampire."_

Vampire. This had better not be Reiko's idea of a joke. If it was, then it wasn't funny. She should know better, considering their past and present circumstances. Yagarī had been forced to kill his own fiancé after she had been exposed as a Level-E and attacked the Kiryū twins. Look at the price he had paid as a result. His right eye was forever covered with a studded leather eyepatch. The top vampire Hunter, and he had to carry a living reminder of his past around with him.

He hadn't expected to meet another who had their own living reminder to carry around, let alone a woman. Yet there he was, being pinned-down by the one woman who had let down so many of the walls that he had built up since that tragedy years ago. On top of that, she was talking about turning him into a vampire! This wasn't the Reiko that he had gotten to know over the past two years, and definitely not the quiet nerd of a top student who always handed in top-quality assignments. Something had to be done, and fast.

"What are you thinking, woman? We've already been through this with your guardian last year." Yagarī placed his hands on Reiko's shoulders and started to lift her off of him. Her hands moved from between his head to firmly planting themselves onto his shoulders. Everything about this was wrong. "You're not thinking straight, Reiko. Snap out of it!" The man had to remember to be careful because of the woman's concussion. Not only did she have that against her, she also had her anemia. That's actually been sated, but still. He can't take any risks of injuring her further.

Giving up wasn't going to come easy, and it certainly didn't look like it was about to happen right away. Being stubborn to the bone was becoming a serious issue here. Reiko placed her hands over the man's hands and pried them off of her shoulders. She fell back onto him and straddled him. "I need everything that I can get...from you," the woman whispered. Her hands climbed his chest and cupped his face in them before she leaned in again. Instead of kissing him, however, her head craned to one side. "Give me what you've got, sugar."

Now he _knew_ that her concussion was affecting her. Something had to be done, preferably _now_ , before matters got worse. But, what? Yagarī looked around quickly before settling his eye on Reiko's Katana. Of course. He could use the sheathe of her Katana to subdue her without creating new injuries!

Training his eye on her again, his icy blue eye met with a pair of unusually dull pink eyes. Suddenly, he grabbed her by her shoulders and shoved her back down onto the bed. "I'm sorry, Reiko," he said quietly before taking hold of her heirloom. Then he struck her on the left side of her head just hard enough to knock her out. Her eyes shut quickly, and her head lolled to her left. That was the end of that.

—•—•—•—

Standing on the other side of the window of the infirmary was a Night Class student. He looked in on Reiko with stern green eyes. The student then turned and walked away. Nothing could be done right now, so he returned to the Moon Dorm. "She's unconscious again, Kaname-sama. It looks like she was knocked out again, this time for a good reason."

Kaname's crimson-coloured eyes leveled at his Vice-President. "What do you mean by, 'good reason?'" he pressed.

"I don't know yet. Her mind is too closed-off for me to get an accurate reading." Poor Ichijō could only do so much as it was, and an unconscious person whose mind had erected mental blocks left his hands tied. For now, he was helpless to do anything more.

"Understood. I'll visit her myself and learn more." What would they learn, though?

—•—•—•—

So much for the mandatory twenty-four hour rule that was required for concussion patients. Had the woman not acted strangely, she would still be conscious and possibly making for very good company to whoever felt like sitting with her. Yagarī had gone to inform the Headmaster of the incident and left Reiko alone to rest.

No fangs had been shown. How could a human with Pureblood in her not have fangs? The Hunter wasn't about to admit to anyone else how glad he was for that. Challenging him with her sarcasm and expressing her intolerance for his general attitude made the lips she spoke from that much more kissable. The frequent nightmares weren't nearly as bad as they usually were, although knowing that she too suffered from similar nightmares now was both concerning and disheartening. Tch. What's happened to him? He's become so soft now.

Reiko had happened is what. "There was no other choice, Cross," he was telling the Headmaster. The man wasn't about to kill his own student over something that was outside of her control. "That fall's screwed up her mind and knocked a few marbles loose." Shourim was en route with Reiko's doctor, so there wasn't much else that they could do until then. Just keep her still was all.

—•—•—•—

"Hello?" rang out the soft voice of the injured woman. Night was rising where the day fell, and the moon was now the only form of light in the infirmary. Reiko had woken up just minutes ago to her head not hurting so much. _Great. I'm alone._ She just needed to turn on the lights, and she would be able to see even better. Not that she couldn't see in the dark. She could. She just wanted to be able to see in colour.

"Good evening, Souma-san." The lights suddenly came on. There stood Kaname Kuran next to the door with his arms folded. "How are you feeling?" Suddenly sitting up, Reiko looked for her Katana. It wasn't anywhere in sight.

 _Great. I handed it over to Yagarī-kun to hold onto because I couldn't trust myself with it._ The woman wasn't sure whether to regret making that decision or not. It would certainly be useful right now! Everything about her scowl indicated that she would rather not see the Pureblood, and a wind started to whip up again. "I've seen better nights," Reiko answered icily. Kaname could have sworn that he just felt the temperature drop a few degrees as well.

He walked over to her right and squatted down. Her scowl intensified and, since she didn't have her Katana, she was limited to her fists and feet as weapons. "Put your fists down, Reiko-san." The woman wasn't about to listen to the vampire anytime soon, even when their eyes locked. "Your mind has been unlocked, and it's trying to make sense of your former memories. The way of the Pureblood...the blood which you've had infused into you by your abductors. With the blood of a Pureblood flowing through you, you can control the weather and see into others' minds-"

"Stop it!" Reiko gave Kaname a good shove away from her. He was caught off-guard, but it wasn't her that had gotten him. A bolt of lightning struck just inches from the ground outside of the window. "I'm not a vampire, and I'll be damned to the worst fate ever before that ever happens! I'm a human! I was born a human, and I will die a human! Now go away!"

 _She's not anymore ready now than she was last night._ He vanished within a single blink of Reiko's eyes, leaving the stormy woman alone to recover. As angry as she was with the Pureblood for not leaving her alone, the woman was more shaken than anything else. This had gone too far.

She rose from the bed and walked over to shut the door. Right now, she wanted to not be alone. Somebody...well, anybody who wasn't a vampire would be wonderful! Yagarī being that somebody would be perfect, but anyone else like the Headmaster or Yūki would be just as good. _Don't leave me alone...not in a place where there are vampires that I would kill if I could!_

"Reiko? We're coming in." We? Kaien opened the door and led the way in to find Reiko curled-up in the corner. Meanwhile, the lightning outside had settled down to rain to reflect on the tears cascading down her face. "Reiko?"

"Cross. Look." Yagarī noticed how the rain was matching Reiko's tears and moved closer, kneeling down. "Hey. Anybody home in there?" He put forth his hand to see what the woman would do.

She took a good look at the Hunter's hand, and then she studied his face. Finally, she stopped thinking about everything that Kaname had said to her and launched herself from the corner into Yagarī's arms. Kaien shut the door to the infirmary just as Reiko burst into open sobs. Whatever was happening, it left her very visibly shaken up.

Out of all of this, the only thing Yagarī could bring himself to do was draw the woman to him and rub her back. He was a black belt in hunting vampires, but he's still a white belt when it comes to comfourting others in distress.

* * *

Author's note: I know it seems like a soap opera with a lot of Mary Sue elements, but I promise it'll get better in the next chapter! :)

Be on the lookout for another story of mine that's soon to be updated for the first time in several months, and review away! All reviews will be answered with chapter four. :)


	4. Fang of Metal

Disclaimer: Vampire Knight, along with its characters and locations, belong to Matsuri Hino. Reiko Souma, her parents and people of her hometown and prior residence, Shourim Manti, and Schian'tlo (not an actual village on the U.S. Virgin Islands) belong to me.

Thank you to those who reviewed! Your reviews mean a lot to me and are very helpful. :)

* * *

On the surface, it seemed as if the Hunter was his usual gruff self: a tough exterior with guards raised up high. On the inside told an entirely different story. Yagarī's heart actually broke for the woman right now, and she wasn't exactly saying much to help either him or the Headmaster out. Never had they seen Reiko like this before, ever. What was one to do?

Fortunately, Kaien took it upon himself to step in with a gentle approach. A sobbing student would eventually attract unwanted attention, but that wasn't his reason. "Reiko-chan, did anybody come to see you today?" was the first thing he asked. Asking questions that required just one-word answers were usually easier than asking for longer answers.

Why was she crying to begin with? Just a few moments ago, she had been ready to find a new way of separating Kaname's head from the rest of his body. Now she was sobbing like a baby and letting Yagarī comfourt her. _He must be embarrassed, doing this in front of the Headmaster!_ It took a long moment, but Reiko was finally able to answer the Headmaster's question with a slow nod. She wasn't crying because he had hurt her, but because she was so frustrated with herself for not handling things better. "Kana...me..."

"Kuran?" Yagarī stopped rubbing Reiko's back and looked down at her. She nodded again, not able to look up at anybody. "Cross." The Pureblood had gone too far this time, and he knew it. Kaien nodded. "Did he say anything to you?" A third nod came from the upset woman. "Wha-?"

The Hunter was stopped with a hand to his shoulder. Kaien shook his head no silently as an indication to not ask what had been said. "Reiko-chan, did he make you feel uncomfortable?" Nod number four.

"I'm not a vampire...I'm not! The weather reflecting my mood is a coincidence. My being able to guess what others are thinking is just that, a guess. I don't know how to see into others' souls! How can I? I'm just one person...I'm me! Nothing can change who I am!" All three of them stopped. Reiko looked up before she finished expressing her innermost thoughts; her eyes widened. _Nothing..._ That's right. Nothing. "Nothing can change..." Slowly freeing herself from Yagarī's hold, the woman stood and walked over to the window. _...have I been letting others try to make that determination for me? It goes against everything that I've learnt about myself and my life in the last two years._ She lowered her eyelids some with a soft sigh.

—•—•—•—

"Take it easy. You're going to feel a little bit of a pinch, and then you're going to start falling asleep not long after. Okay?" An unfamiliar female gave the instructions whilst pushing a cot. On that cot was Reiko, who had suddenly collapsed about two weeks after being shoved from the roof during her patrol. An oxygen mask was placed in front of her face to help her breathe, and a local anesthetic was injected into her upper right arm. Reiko felt drowsy almost immediately, and then she was out cold. "This is going to take some delicacy, you guys. There's fluid around the brain and a blood transfusion to be given. She's recovering from a concussion. On three!"

—•—•—•—

 _My...body. It feels so...healthy._ It was taking some necessary adjustments in order to get used to having the right red and white blood cell count again. It always took some adjusting whenever a blood transfusion was involved, but there was something else. There haven't been signs of a concussion or unnecessary fluid in over a week. In fact, Reiko was sitting up and writing away like a busy bee as she got herself caught up on her missing classwork.

She was definitely feeling better if she was writing at such a rapid pace. Oh, how she had missed doing this...wasn't her hand about to fall off? Not at all. There was no pain as she completed one assignment, set it aside on a small table, and started on the next one. Pretty soon, there was a growing pile of completed papers sitting in a small stack to her right.

Normally, Reiko would be wanting of some company right now. However, she didn't quite mind so much right now because she was getting something more important done: her homework. What a wonder it was that her mind wasn't spinning from the knowledge that she was absorbing like a sponge.

"Ah, you're up. Good." A female's voice didn't distract Reiko from her work. "Souma-san?" Finally, she stopped writing and put her pen down. She was finished with her assignment anyways and added it to the pile on her right. "I see. You've been working very hard to catch up on all of your work."

"I just want to get everything done so that I can be prepared to dive right back into my routine once I'm cleared to return," Reiko told her nurse. Yes, she now has a personal nurse. Shourim had hired one to look after the woman whenever he couldn't be with her. "Forgive my saying this, but...nurses and I seem to have a bad professional relationship, for some reason. All of the ones from the past have tried to kill me."

Marta's eyes widened in surprise. "What do you mean?" she asked.

Reiko shook her head. Going into detail about the two nurses being Level-Es in disguise wasn't for the Virgin Islands Hispanic native to know about. She didn't know the lady well enough to trust her with the more personal details of her life; her duties were to be her personal nurse and nothing more. "Something about asking pointed questions seems to be a common dislike throughout the medical profession," was all she would say. She shifted her eyes to make sideways contact with the woman. "With that said, is there an ETA on how much longer I'll be here? I don't want to jump the gun if there's still more to be done before I'm given a clean bill of health."

 _What nurse wouldn't like being asked the good questions?_ a confused nurse thought. Holding her patient's folder in her hand, she flipped it open and looked over the daily charts. "Yes, it does show that you've been making remarkable progress in your recovery from your surgery and your transfusion...your counts have been perfect, and your vitals as close to normal as they could get. They're still slightly low, but they're better than ever, according to your medical history." Reiko nodded in acknowledgement at what she was hearing, but it didn't completely answer her question. "There's been no signs of fluid around your brain either, but your doctor made a note that he wants to keep you for at least another week to monitor your recovery."

"Understood. Thank you, Marta-san." Satisfied with the answer, the pink-haired patient tucked some of her hair behind her ears and laid back down. She had to admit that, as much as she missed being at Cross Academy, she was kind of glad that she was away from the place for awhile. Always being in the same environment as vampires felt rather stifling. Reiko needed this break. _The circumstances could've been better..._ She glanced over at Marta without moving her head. _...just how did Sho-Sho-kun find this woman? He didn't tell me much about her._ All he had told her was that she lived nearby and was incredibly talented.

Which gave the woman an idea. "Marta-san...may I ask you a possibly strange question?" Reiko piped up. If this worked as planned, then she would either get the weirdest face with a concern for her nonexistent menstrual cycle or have to cut the woman into ribbons somehow.

Marta was indeed flustered at the sudden initiation. "Yes, Souma-san. Is everything all right?"

"Mm-hm." A confident nod answered the nurse's question. "I'm only curious about something. You know how we have those days where we crave the strangest things...or, what we think is strange. Like one day, I wanted to do nothing but cut up paper into butterflies. What would you say is the strangest thing you've ever craved?"

"Blood." Marta's voice became serious. Reiko gasped. Had Shourim not asked the right questions, or what? "Let me explain. Being a nurse, I have to work in an environment where the most vile and disgusting things are seen. One day, I was craving blood because I kept on getting paper cuts and, being short on sleep by the evening, had convinced myself that I was going to need a transfusion." She had to convince Reiko that she wasn't a weirdo. "I instead went home, had a glass of white wine with a Caesar salad, and went to bed. By the next morning, that craving was gone."

Nothing on Reiko's face showed that she was convinced. Sitting up straight, she stared right at the woman. "Keep talking. How and where did my guardian find you?" Craving blood at all was completely abnormal, no matter what anyone said! It was enough that blood petrified Reiko.

"We were at a conference when he approached me." Marta went on to explain the process of being questioned and the checks that she had to submit, but something still didn't jibe right with her. "The way he looked at me..."

"That's not who he is. My father isn't the man to care about a romantic relationship. It took him weeks to forge a bond with me as his daughter! What did you do to him, you creep?" Reiko demanded. She saw the way her nurse was reacting and quickly drew her Katana.

"Ah, an anti-vampire weapon...surely inherited by the parents that gave birth to you." What?! Marta wasn't one of the Deranged, but she was acting like a vampire. "Have you never met a Common before? We tend to be far more intelligent and in control of ourselves than those foolish Deranged. Pft. They're too far gone to reclaim their sanity."

Reiko's eyes were glaring flaming daggers at Marta now. Suddenly, the happy sunshine turned into a nasty thunderstorm. "And you're too far into my web to reclaim your existence, you vampire! Now _die!"_ She rose from her bed and lunged towards the nurse.

Nurses really didn't belong in this woman's circle, not one who wasn't employed at Cross Academy. Reiko's Katana stabbed into Marta's neck before coming back out, and the nurse's hand swiped the blade away. Then Reiko tried again at another slice since Marta was now wounded. This time, she managed to get her left shoulder before she was kicked into her bed. "Oof!" Her eyes rolled to the back of her head before she stood back up and drove the blade directly into Marta's chest. Right on the spot did she turn into the vampire ashes that she was familiar with.

"Are you all right?" Shourim arrived a few minutes later to find the woman staring down at the pile of ash. Reiko punched the man in his face. "Reiko! What are you-?"

"Don't you dare hire anymore nurses, Shourim. Understand?" Too stunned by her sudden outburst to respond, Shourim remained where he had fallen from the surprising amount of force that the woman packed in her punch as she continued. "They alway turn into emthat! That /emwas a stinking Common you had hanging around me for the last week! Is it your mission to see me _die_ one day?! Is it?!"

"!" The man was now floored. He'd hired a woman who was secretly a vampire. How had he missed that?! It was no wonder a pile of ashes was on the floor between the two of them. "You're getting stronger before my eyes, Reiko...I regret not noticing this sooner." He rose from the floor, wiped the little bit of blood from the corner of his mouth before she could react to it, and walked over to the woman. Then he drew her into a hug. "I'm sorry, Rei-chan. That was never my intention when I took you in." As she welcomed Shourim's fatherly embrace and accepted his apology, a single thought crossed her mind.

 _I'm...getting stronger._

* * *

Just how stronger has Reiko gotten? The more important thing to consider is if that Common will be the only one that she takes out anytime soon. There are signs that a true Hunter has been born! You'll just have to wait and see~!

 _Reviews!_

 _ **Toga Yagari** : Yes! He's still new to it, but he's starting to come around to where he'll now do so in front of very few people! You may or may not do more in the near future. XD I'm glad Kaname didn't come across as out-of-character either. That was my biggest concern when writing chapter three. Phew!_


	5. Manipulation

Disclaimer: Vampire Knight, along with its characters and locations, belong to Matsuri Hino. Reiko Souma, her parents and people of her hometown and prior residence, Shourim Manti, and Schian'tlo (not an actual village on the U.S. Virgin Islands) belong to me.

Thank you to those who reviewed! Your reviews mean a lot to me and are very helpful. :)

Who's ready for a little bit of fluff and lemon in the future chapters? They're coming...SOON!

* * *

 _I'm...getting stronger._

That thought graced the woman's mind for the first time whilst she was in Shourim's embrace.

 _Flashback:_

 _"What time is it? I'm going to be late for class!" Gathering her things together, the woman quickly realised that she was still in the hospital. Damn. She was supposed to be discharged today, but they couldn't let her go last night? Nope. There were final tests to be done and vitals to be checked. Ugh. Tests. The day she didn't have to take anymore of those would be the day that she died a happy woman._

 _ **Crunch.** Reiko's foot landed on something hard, something that sounded like plastic breaking beneath it. Looking down revealed that the now-broken object was a pen. Whoops. Good thing that wasn't her only pen._

 _Her physical strength has been improving since the operation. Whatever it was that the doctors had done, they had done it right and did an excellent job of it. A single clench of her left fist showed her veins. They were finally pumping healthy levels of blood and nutrients throughout the rest of her body. What a sight! All of this was new to the woman._

 _In the next moment, she hurried over to the window and threw the shades aside. Sunlight flooded the room brightly enough that the woman had to shield her eyes at first. There was something she needed to do whilst she was alone. After all of the bullshit that she has been through with the accusations and claims of so-called "talents," Reiko wanted to settle it all on her own._

It was time to test Kaname Kuran's theories.

"Make me angry," she said to Yagarī one day. He could hardly believe what he was hearing. Was she still concussed? Did she hit her head really hard again? Maybe those surgeries she had caused her to lose a few more marbles in the process. "Don't worry. I don't have any fresh injuries. There's just...something that I need to settle with my conscience. Make me angry."

The top Hunter shook his head slowly. He really didn't like this idea of hers. Bringing out her anger was nothing he enjoyed doing because he had done too much of that back when they had first started to speak outside of the classroom. "Reiko, the day I piss you off again is the day that I start going soft on the rest of the twits I call students." He wouldn't do it, not even in the privacy of his own dormitory room.

Reiko wasn't about to back down either. She folded her arms in front of her chest and started to tap her foot. "If I didn't have an important reason, then I wouldn't be asking you to do this. Please...for me?"

"This is ridiculous. Can't you piss yourself off? Anyone who's as skilled with psychology as you are should have no problem doing it to yourself." It was a jab, but it was based on his honesty. He couldn't exactly bring himself to try any harder because of how much he cared for her. Nevertheless, he noticed the frown on her face and wasn't at all surprised when she stormed over to him. When she placed her hands on his chest to push him back, he grabbed her wrists and pinned them against it instead.

Meanwhile, the clouds had started to roll in. "You're an ass, you know that?" Reiko pointed out. "All I ask for is one favour, and I get this-" A kiss. Pressing his lips to hers, Yagarī cut off the woman before she could continue on the path to legitimate anger. Little did he know that, as much as she enjoyed every moment of romance that they spent together, she really was starting to get angry. Her eyes shut angrily as her mouth was devoured by his. He was taking the easy way out, and he knew it.

It was when she opened her eyes again mid-kiss that she started to see lightning strike in the distance. Reiko broke the kiss, finally succeeding in freeing her hands from the man's grasp, and looked out at the lightning storm. Now she had done it. "Yagarī...look!" She pointed outside the window behind him with her right hand and guided him into turning around with her left hand. When he saw the lightning storm outside and watched it come to an end with her anger, he spun back around to face her. "So...it is true. My emotions can affect the weather...but...how?" She was as confused as Yagarī was.

Then she remembered what Kaname had said; her eyes widened in surprise. The blood of the Purebloods had been infused into her, according to him. Her eyes then narrowed at the thought, and the clouds became stormy again. Yagarī closed the distance between them again, this time backing the woman up until she was standing between him and her bed. "Whatever you're thinking, don't let it get to you." He lifted her into his arms and carried her over to the window, where the curtains were parted a bit to allow some sunlight into the room. Of course, it was now cloudy again and threatening to storm. "That Pureblood's words are still getting to you," he muttered.

"They are." Trusting him to not drop her allowed her to fold her arms in front of her and shut her eyes. "No matter how much I try to forget about what he said, they still come back as a reminder from time to time...particularly the one about my having Pureblood coursing through my veins because of my abductors." An angry sigh parted her. "Exactly how much of that is true?"

Yes, he had told her what neither Yagarī nor the Headmaster could tell her. Shourim had told them not to for her sake, but Reiko wasn't going to let this die. Another kiss, with him taking hold of her face by placing one finger beneath her chin, wasn't going to quell this. "Regardless of the truth, you are _not_ a vampire." Yagarī sighed. This wasn't exactly easy, playing the game of verbal dodgeball with this woman. She was simply too smart.

"I thought we were through with this game," Reiko said. She was pressing, but she didn't want to press too hard. All she wanted to know was whether Kaname's words were true or not. Hopping down to the ground, she smoothed her hair. "You know where to find me when you and the others are done hiding the truth from me." It was safe to say that she was definitely mad, and the returning thunderstorm was evident of this. Yagarī watched in a guilty silence as the woman left his room, and then turned back to the window.

—•—•—•—

A light storm soothed the mood of the otherwise angry Reiko, who found herself sitting on her bed with her legs hugged like a child who had been punished. She felt bad about storming out on the Hunter, but what else was she supposed to do? A direct question had been asked, and he had dodged it. "'Regardless of the truth, you are not a vampire.' Just what is that supposed to mean?" wondered the woman aloud to herself. She stared at her knees with a frown. "If he's refusing to answer, and nobody else will confirm nor deny it, then it must be true, and they must be avoiding it because they think it'll break me."

Not telling her was a more subtle act of betrayal than straight-out betraying her was. She was getting more aggravated just thinking about it, and the storm was intensifying with it. That was it. Enough was enough! Picking up her sheathed Katana, Reiko rose from her bed and stormed out of her dormitory room, letting the door slam shut and automatically lock on its own. Psychologically, the woman could try to convince the Headmaster into telling her the truth. He was one of the three authority figures who knew, after all.

 _Wait. If I approach him whilst I'm in this mood, then he may be less inclined to tell me._ That had to change quickly. _A meditation should fix this._ She slowed her pace and started to take deep breaths before slowing to a stop about halfway to the office. What were the chances that the Headmaster would even want to tell her in the first place? Reiko figured that her chances were slim to none, logically. Not liking those odds, she would try to push them higher if she could.

This was it. Her mood was better, now that she had that meditation in. Opting for now rather than later, she watched for a moment as the storm settled into rain before that too came to a stop. Now or never. She reached his office in good time and knocked. A busy Headmaster was better than a Headmaster who said no to telling her anything.

"Come in," Reiko heard Kaien say from the other side of the door. He had stopped writing and rose to open the door instead of making his visitor let themselves in. He saw the woman standing there with a calm expression and stepped aside so that she could come in. "Reiko-chan. Is everything all right?" She wasn't going to answer that with the door open, so she walked in and waited for the Headmaster to shut the door first. When he saw her sitting down in front of his desk and looking down at her hands, he took that as a sign that something was up.

How to go about this? "Everything will be all right as long as I don't make it storm again," she said. She accepted a cup of steaming green tea when it was handed to her and held it in one hand with her other hand resting beneath said cup. She saw the curious look on the man's face, one which asked to know more. "I already know that my mood affects the weather, Kaien-san. I saw it happen with my own eyes when I was speaking with Yagarī-kun earlier, so there's no need to call it a coincidence when we both know it's not."

 _So, she does know,_ Kaien thought.

"What I want to know is whether it's true that I have Pureblood blood flowing through my bloodstream, which enables me to manipulate the weather with my mood and to see into people's souls." Deep pink hues stared directly into sand-coloured orbs as she awaited the answer patiently. It was anything but easy to answer, but Kaien could see that the woman before him was hurting for the truth behind this development. His inner nature as a father may have softened him quite a bit, but he was anything but weak.

Still...he couldn't lie. Despite Shourim not wanting Reiko to ever find out, she deserved to know the truth. A heavy sigh left the Headmaster as he sat back down on his chair and met the pair of curious eyes belonging to a hurting woman. "Yes, Reiko-chan," he answered at last.

 _So, it is true! Kuran-san wasn't lying at all! But, why? Why would the Night Class president be more willing to tell me the truth than my own father when they know I can't stand evil vampires!_ Reiko's hands gripped the arms of the chair. Behind the Headmaster, it was starting to rain again. "Why?" she asked as calmly as possible. "Why keep this from me?" Her grip loosened from the chair as she waited patiently for an answer.

"Listen to me. You only just came from the hospital three days ago. How do you intend to handle this new information without getting sick all over again?" Kaien put his cup down and walked over to Reiko. He took note of her emotional state and stopped down. "Don't let it undo you." Undo her? Just what was that supposed to mean? "You are _not_ a vampire."

 _Having Pureblood DNA in my blood doesn't make me a vampire?_

—•—•—•—

"I'm...sorry."

* * *

Who is apologising here, and to whom? You'll just have to wait and see!

 _Reviews!_

 _ **Toga Yagari:** It certainly does seem different that she'll lash out at her own guardian, especially after she called him "her father" for the first time. Right? We'll see what comes of that in the future. :3_

 _ **Princess de la Luna:** Thank you so much! :)_


	6. Red Fine Line

Chapter 6: Fine Red Line

Disclaimer: Vampire Knight, along with its characters and locations, belong to Matsuri Hino. Reiko Souma, her parents and people of her hometown and prior residence, Shourim Manti, and Schian'tlo (not an actual village on the U.S. Virgin Islands) belong to me.

Notice: A lime is in this chapter!

Many thanks to those who review. Every review is very helpful to me as an author. :)

* * *

 _"I'm...sorry."_

Standing outside of a closed door, Reiko held her hands in front of her. The person she was speaking to, wouldn't open the door for her if she asked. All she wanted was to be listened to, even if they never had to look at her. This was the least that she could do. Having enemies and fractured friendships was one of her dislikes. It was the cause for bitterness within and without. Such things showed on a person's face.

"I'm...sorry," she said again. Her eyes stared holes through the door. "Going away isn't an option this time, not until I've said what I need to say. Everything about me on the outside has given the wrong impression of who I really am on the inside. The way I conduct myself is atypical of everybody else in my age group, allowing myself to become a slave to my own schoolwork and blocking out the rest of the world for the sake of blocking out the memories that plague me. Memories that I'm still trying to process so that I may finally begin to accept myself for all that I am and not just part of who I am."

There was the sound of shifting on the other side. The door was still shut, though. There was just movement was all. Would her words eventually reach? She hoped so. It was better than nothing.

"Kīryu-san...I'm sorry for giving you cause to hold a grudge against me since I first came to this Academy. It led to you pushing me off of the roof because of your rightful determination to prove whether I'm really wearing the right skin or not." A faint smile started to take form on Reiko's face. "Please know, I've already forgiven you for your actions. I just hope that you can forgive me for mine."

That was all there was to say. Now the ball was in Zero's court, and since Reiko couldn't force forgiveness upon anybody, she turned around to walk away. She had made peace within and felt a heavy weight being lifted from her shoulders.

 _Click. Click._ "Wait." Reiko's eyes widened at the spoken request, and she turned to find the silver-haired Prefect standing in the doorway with the door partly open. "You're just like Yūki-kun, but not at all like her. Always being so nice, even to people who don't deserve it. Why are you the way you are? Don't you ever stay mad at people?"

The woman shook her head. "That...is where you're wrong, Kīryu-san." Raising her right hand, she spread her fingers apart in covering half of her face vertically. "I'm not always nice." Each finger lowered with every syllable that she spoke until her hand had been made into a fist. Then she lowered her fist to her side. "The truth is that I'm hardly like Yūki-chan at all. I hold my own grudges against people...no, that's wrong." The woman frowned. "I don't hold grudges against people. I hold grudges against _vampires._ Deranged. Fencers. Commons. Half-Breeds. Wholes." Lightning lit the dark hallway, creating a dramatic silhouette of Reiko's face. "Kuran-san." She would reign her emotions in soon. "Every vampire that threatens the sacred peace of coexistence in any way _must_ be eliminated without doubt or thought. Remember that, Kīryu-san, as my reason for choosing not to hold a grudge against you in particular."

Walking away couldn't have come easier in that moment. She left Zero standing there to think over everything that had come from her mouth.

—•—•—•—

What a dull several days of classes it proved to be. There were tests, homework assignments, and a project to keep Reiko and her peers busy. Unfortunately for her, she and Yagarī were still not speaking to each other. Had her words been so sharp that they had cut right to his heart? The woman certainly hoped not and sighed softly. Blank as her face was and void of any emotion, she was really feeling the regret. It got to the point where she stopped writing and lowered her head onto the surface in front of her, forehead touching.

"Souma-san." Yagarī noticed the woman's change in posture and paused his lecture. When she simply sighed in response, he stopped altogether and walked over to where she sat. "Souma-san!" Reiko lifted her head slowly. "Are you feeling all right?" She nodded silently. The man wasn't convinced, but stepped away anyways. "The next time you're in need of a nap, please excuse yourself to the clinic unless you want to deal with extra lessons." Reiko's forehead touched the table again, but then she stood up and excused herself silently.

 _I can't even look at him right now, I feel so guilty!_ Rather than go to the clinic, she went to Kaien's office. If anybody could help, then the Headmaster was it. "I don't know what to do. My guilt over pushing him away with my words is affecting my concentration and disrupting class...he had to stop his lecture because of me." She accepted a cup of chamomile tea with her thanks and held it between her hands. "Ugh..."

Kindness didn't move from the man's eyes as he listened to the woman speak. He had watched the bond between Reiko and Yagarī form and strengthen within the last several months. A lot had happened to give it reason, after all. From Reiko's hospitalisation to a recent invasion and Yagarī rescuing her from a powerful Pureblood, Kaien saw the potential for a beautiful development between the two.

They first had to jump over this hurtle.

"Remain true to who you are-"

"Doing that is what caused me to push him away to begin with, Kaien-kun." Reiko bowed her head after the interruption. "I apologise...I'm new to all of this. This isn't something that I know much about."

"Does anybody know any more than the next person when it comes to such heartfelt matters?" The man sat behind his desk with a cup of his own chamomile tea in his hands. "That you're letting this bother you as much as it is, that shows how much you care for him." Boy, was that true! "Talk to him, Reiko-chan. You owe him that much."

That's exactly what the woman did. Returning to her class, she did her best at paying attention to the rest of the lecture. When it was over, she was ready to leave when Yagarī called for her.

"Your brief disruption has earned you an extra lesson," he said. Reiko's heart sank some. She made her way back to her seat and sat down whilst everybody filed out of the room. Once it and the hallway were empty, the raven-haired teacher shut the door. Reiko's head turned at the sound of the lock being turned with a soft click. "You weren't really feeling sick," he said. The woman shook her head silently, which to Yagarī was a sign that something was bothering her. He knew her well enough to know this and walked over to stand in front of her seat.

"I didn't mean to push you away," Reiko said suddenly. She was looking down and not even thinking about looking up, her guilt ran that deep. "That's why you haven't been speaking to me, isn't it? I hurt you when I told you to find me once the games were over, and you're keeping me here under the guise of an extra lesson so that we can talk about it. Am I wrong?"

Yagarī shook his head. "No, you're right." He ran a hand through his hair that covered his patch-covered eye whilst shutting his left eye for a long moment. When he opened it again, he made his way around to her left. "It isn't every day that I'll hear something that really affects me as much as your words did. I...apologise."

Now that was huge, Yagarī's apologies. It drew Reiko's head up so that she was now looking at him, her deep pink eyes meeting with his one pale blue that he could see from. Before she could respond, however, the Hunter-gone-teacher pulled her from her seat and locked her in his embrace. "Please...don't do this to me, Yagarī," Reiko pleaded. The last thing she wanted was to crumble in his sight. "It's hard enough being this close to you without being beaten up by my own guilt, so please...don't."

 _All the more reason to,_ he responded to himself. With his arms around her and his hands resting on her lower back and the back of her head, Yagarī coaxed Reiko into a corner of the room where no curious eyes would be able to peek in from the window or from the door. Then it was there that he captured her lips with his in a fierce kiss, one that was full of hunger and fervour. He didn't want to let go of her just yet, so he didn't.

Reiko's knees were going weak, and fast. Before long, she was raising her hands to the sides of his face and cradling it tenderly. _I gave in..._ Her lips showed submission in granting Yagarī entrance within. She didn't care that they were still in the classroom, or that he had literally cornered her. Her feelings for him could never die, lest her conscience prick her for the rest of her life.

"Reiko." Yagarī spoke softly, breaking the kiss with a linger. His lips found the top of her head and touched it softly before moving back down. Here was one who had turned his world upside-down, or rather downside-up, straightening it out for the road before him. "Reiko..." Pressing her closer to him caused the heat between them to rise. Most of it was focused on his nether region as their lips crashed into each other's again. Yagarī wanted to take her right here, but he couldn't. They were still in a classroom, albeit in the least suspecting corner, and let himself sway back and forth slowly in brushing his nether region against Reiko's skirt-covered region.

Keeping her pressed close to him, he ended the kiss again. "Don't feel so guilty for what I already forgave you for," he muttered in her ear. Reiko's eyes widened. So, why..? "I was waiting for you."

 _For me? He was waiting for me?_ Before the woman could have the chance of letting her thought process, Yagarī reached into one of his pockets, pulled out a pen and a slip of paper, and wrote something down before putting his pen away. Then he took Reiko's right hand and gently pressed the paper into it, closing her fingers around it.

"I'll be waiting for you tonight," he said, backing out of their embrace. Now she wondered if what he'd written down had anything to do with his waiting for her. They partnered on patrol more often than not, with Reiko usually being the one to take the lead by getting a head start. Now she would no longer be taking the lead due to her recent injury. Yagarī insisted on not leaving her alone anymore due to her risk of another injury.

"I'm not going out tonight," Reiko blurted. She held the paper to her chest. "I need to sleep...I'll come to you another time." What was she to him, anyways? What was he to her? She wasn't staying inside to avoid him, though. Her need for sleep was the truth. Reiko was tired and felt particularly drained for some reason, so she just knew to go to sleep and pray that she'd feel better tomorrow.

Her hand was grabbed before she could reach the door. Standing behind her, Yagarī took hold of her other hand. "I'll give you another extra lesson and make your test harder than everybody else's if you start falling asleep during my class," he said to her lowly, "don't let those two other Prefects start rubbing off on you with their bad habits." He let go of her hands after landing a soft kiss to the top of her head; Reiko simply nodded before walking off, leaving Yagarī to deal with the result of building heat from earlier.

—•—•—•—

Sleep came easy to the pink-haired woman once she returned to her room. She really wasn't kidding when she had told Yagarī that she needed to sleep. She had apparently needed the sleep so much that she slept for the rest of the day and well into the next, causing her to miss the first half of her classes. _Geez. My body must still be trying to compensate for what's happened to me recently._

The little paper that had been slipped into her hand remained in her hand this entire time. Now that was something, being able to sleep with anything in one's hand without losing it. What added to this was, she never even opened it up to see just what was written down. It was going to remain unopened, too. Until she was more ready to find out what was going on, she wasn't going to unfold it. Instead, Reiko placed it inside of her skirt pocket and sat up.

She was going to stay in her room today.

 _Knock, knock._ "Reiko-chan?" The woman looked up from her schoolwork. "Are you in there? You weren't in any of your classes this morning." Yūki. Only she would come around whenever something was off. Knowing that she wouldn't stop, Reiko rose from her chair and walked over to the door before opening it. "Is everything all right?"

The woman nodded. "I was very tired after yesterday's extra lesson and ended up sleeping for about eighteen hours, but I'm fine otherwise. Thanks for asking." She looked back at her open book. "I'm just going to stay in my room and finish the last of my assignments that are due today...would you mind bringing some of these to my professors, please?"

"Yes, of course."

The woman gestured the brunette inside and shut the door. "Tell you the truth, Yūki-chan, I think I'm still recovering from the recent events. That makes my extra sleep sound more justifiable." She sat down at her desk. A single gesture invited the younger woman to sit on her neatly-made bed. Reiko always kept everything as neat and tidy as possible, even when she was alone. "I miss the nightly patrols, but...I know that I'm not ready to return just yet."

Yūki knew a little bit about her friend's situation. She had witnessed a couple of instances where Yagarī had touched Reiko's cheek lightly. Both of them still shot the most snarky remarks at each other, challenging each other, even in public. "Just take your time, Reiko-chan. Zero-kun, Yagarī-sensei, and I have things covered. You just get your...rest..." She took note of the look on the pink-haired woman's face. _I don't think I've ever seen her looking so depressed before. Did something happen?_

She watched as Reiko stood. Then she watched the distance close, and the woman hugged Yūki. As it would be, the angle was awkward, which led to the two women falling onto Reiko's bed together. The tears were in the older woman's eyes as she looked down at her roommate. "Yūki-chan...I miss him. I miss Yagarī-kun." Her skinny arms separated as she rolled onto her side. Yes, she was actually saying this out loud. _I can't keep on avoiding this forever._ Reiko had to do something...but what?

"If you miss him that much, then you should probably just go to him." The Prefect sat up and straightened herself out. "I'll see you later, Reiko-chan!" That's right, Yūki had to go to her next class. Just one remained before the afternoon gate-guarding. Reiko was the one Prefect who personally hated this part of the job because it meant having to protect the Night Class from being swarmed by those idiotic Day Class girls. Whose idea was it to start such a ridiculous tradition, anyways?

Alone once more, the university student returned to her desk to finish up her remaining work.

—•—•—•—

"Good...things are starting to stir. Now is the time to make your appearance." A deep voice spoke. A single candle was lit to the speaker's right. "Cross Academy's been quiet for far too long now, you see. What say you add yourself to the Day Class and remind that soul just who she belongs to?"

A second voice, this one not such a deep pitch, responded, "Certainly."

* * *

Is there such thing as catching a break around here? Apparently not...

 _Reviews!_

 _ **GoldenLombaxGirl:** I'll take your shock as a good thing. Thank you for reviewing! :)_


	7. Forgive Me

Disclaimer: Vampire Knight, along with its characters and locations, belong to Matsuri Hino. Reiko Souma, her parents and people of her hometown and prior residence, Shourim Manti, and Schian'tlo (not an actual village on the U.S. Virgin Islands) belong to me.

Notice: A lime is in this chapter!

Thank you to all who review! Your reviews are very helpful to me. :)

* * *

 _"...I miss Yagarī-kun."_

She couldn't believe that she had just told Yūki that. Wasn't that what friends were supposed to do though, talk to each other about things that were on their minds? Sigh. Reiko felt like an obsessed schoolgirl now. Fawning over her teacher like he was the hottest item, but that's the thing. Yagarī was hot, smoking hot. He just wasn't an item to be sat on a pedestal for gawkers to adore and worship. Deep down, the woman cherished him and cared for him as somebody who understood.

That wasn't to say that nobody understood Reiko at all. Very few did. As she finished her work and set her materials aside, she returned to her bed. She retrieved the folded-up piece of paper from beneath her pillow and unfolded it. What she read caused her to drop the paper in disbelief. Without picking it up, she then ran from her room with the door locked behind her.

 _Yagarī..!_

—•—•—•—

It was a habit of the Hunter-gone-teacher to take roll call at the end of his classes. He learnt that doing this prevented anybody from being tempted into unauthorised early leaves, not that it happened often. Anyone who did, exception granted to the Prefects, were marked absent. So, nobody left early without permission.

Nobody except for Reiko, whose health was a valid reason for early departures, but she wasn't even in class today. When he took roll call and dismissed the class, he called Yūki up for a moment. "Reiko-chan said that she ended up sleeping really late and thinks she still needs to recover, so she decided to stay in her room," the brunette told him.

"I see." What he was really thinking was, _No doubt working on her assignments._ A small smirk formed on his face. "That is all."

 _Yagarī-sensei sounds like he might be worried about Reiko-chan._ Not that he shouldn't be. After hearing what Reiko had to say earlier, it was no wonder. Yūki thought to visit the woman later tonight and returned to her room to work on her homework whilst Yagarī returned to his own room.

He opened the door to find Reiko standing in front of the window. Her back was turned to him as she looked out at the landscape below. _She must have read it._ Moving closer, he stopped directly behind her and draped his arms around her with his hands joining in front of her. "I missed you today," he admitted just as her hands came to rest on top of his. The woman didn't say anything at first. What could she say? Issue an apology for not being in class?

 _Yeah, I apologise for not being in any of my classes today, but I really needed to sleep and think about some stuff whilst finishing my homework._ Wouldn't that sit well? Instead of speaking a word, Reiko continued to stare outside. She wanted to remain quiet and still, at least for a little while. No words, no more touching than the closeness they had now, just absolute stillness. Each minute stood for the number of days that neither of them spoke to each other. Twenty-two. That's how long it's been since they actually spoke before yesterday.

Reiko finally lowered her hands down and turned to face Yagarī at the end of the silence. Their eyes met for a moment. Two pink eyes seemed to reveal the falling away of a mask that she had tried to put up. Oh, how she knew better than to do such a thing. His ice blue eye was failing to keep his own guards raised.

Suddenly, Reiko summoned every ounce of her strength and started to push Yagarī towards his own bed. _!_ Safe assumptions could be correctly made that both of them were caught off-guard: Reiko by how easily she was able to move the man backwards, and Yagarī by the sudden burst of strength. "What-"

"Shut up," Reiko cut in. She stared up at him. "Do you have any idea how lonely I've been without you?" So lonely, in fact, that it had hurt both emotionally and physically. Pain showed in her eyes as she raised her hands from his chest. Dark circles, which had previously vanished during her time in the hospital, were starting to come back. "The others are outside of my league with their constant obsession over the Night Creeps. All of their lovey talk makes me wonder how I've not drowned them all in the pond, already! At least with you, I can..." Reiko looked down.

Only to look up again when Yagarī took hold of her hands. He didn't have to wait for her to complete her sentence to know what she would have said. She clearly wasn't bored whenever she was with him, or else why continue to see him in private? Lowering her hands, the Hunter-gone-teacher released them to pull her close to him. He didn't want to let go of her any more than she wanted to let go of him. And he saw, just from looking over the top of her head at the little black bag sitting next to her Katana beneath his night stand, that she would be staying with him tonight as well.

—•—•—•—

"Heh heh heh...what an annoying little spitfire she is." A crystal ball glowed in the midst of darkness, doing little to illuminate the room with light. It was an active one, all right. Its observer leaned in closer, and the little bright glass orb revealed an extremely pale face. "She might believe that she succeeded in killing me, but little does she know...I was able to slip away at the last second, clinging to what fabric remained of my life."

His face moved back from the crystal ball. The sound of a loud creak continued to break the silence as the figure sat back in what had to be a thick reclining chair. All that remained now was the return of his accomplice, who he had sent out to gather information.

—•—•—•—

"Take it easy! Stop trying to push!" Yūki ordered. She was usually at the mercy of the other Day Class students, and they always seem to get worse every year. A single glare from Zero took care of that. All of the students freaked out and backed up real fast. "Zero-"

The silver-haired man dropped his glare for the brunette. "Don't. It's the least I could do after you had to deal with her today." By "her," Zero was referring to Reiko. He had heard the two women speaking in the pink-haired woman's room whilst wandering around to see White Lily.

"That's not nice, Zero-kun. You make it sound like she's a burden." She was actually surprised to hear him talking about her at all, really.

Three minutes left until the gates would open. The pair had things under control with the crowd now, so they could relax with the students now. "Burden? No. More like...she reminds me of you." In other words, he thought she was on the annoying side. "Unlike you though, she knows how to pick her battles."

"What was that?" Yūki raised her fist, scowling. The gates opened before she could have the chance of saying another word. There stood the Night Class, ready to receive the greetings of the Day Class. Of course, leading the way was Aidou Hanabūsa.

Happy chaos erupted from there, largely on the behalf of the female students. Leave it to Aidou, whose nickname was "Idol," to captivate everyone's attention with his friendly greeting. All anyone could hear was the female members of the class giving their happily loud greeting of, _"Hi, Idol-kun!"_ as the Night Class students filed past in a somewhat straight single-file line towards their class.

—•—•—•—

"Yaga...rī..." Visibly weak at the knees, Reiko was finding it hard to stay on her feet. Her heart was racing as she finally gave in and fell back onto the man's bed, breathing very heavily.

* * *

As you can tell, I'm a huge fan of cliffhangers. Just keep reading!

 _Reviews:  
_ _ **GoldenLombaxGirl:**_ _Thank you very much. This one's on the shorter side, I know, but for a good reason. You'll see why! :)_


	8. Howl in the Night

_Disclaimer_ : Vampire Knight, along with its characters and locations, belong to Matsuri Hino. Reiko Souma, her parents and people of her hometown and prior residence, Shourim Manti, and Schian'tlo (not an actual village on the U.S. Virgin Islands) belong to me.

Notice: A lemon is in this chapter, which could be considered smut to the sensitive. Please return to the T-rated category if you're not of the proper age, as this story _is_ rated M.

Thank you to all who review! Your reviews are very helpful to me. :)

* * *

 _Her heart was racing as she finally gave in and fell back onto the man's bed, breathing very heavily._

One had to wonder, just what went on whenever teacher and student met up for the night? Did they always hook up?

The answer to the second question was no. Their first hookup had been one of few times, but not something that they did constantly, given they still exchanged kisses and spent an occasional night in each other's embrace from time to time. Had Reiko been a coworker or a fellow Hunter instead of Yagarī's top student, the chances of their being an official couple would be far higher. But, they couldn't right now. In fact, they weren't even supposed to be meeting like this. The Headmaster seemed to be all right with it though, whatever his reasons might be. In fact, the Headmaster himself approved of this secret relationship for one huge reason: Reiko and Yagarī were good for each other's souls.

So, that's why Kaien never went seeking the fellow Hunter-gone-teacher out when he wasn't in the classroom or outside. Unless it was important, he respected his friend's privacy. Yagarī would simply clobber the old man with a book over his head or give him a literal ass-kicking anyways.

At the moment, Yagarī had backed Reiko against his bed and kneeled down in front of her. Raising her skirt some, he landed a soft kiss on her inner thighs. That undoubtedly caused her knees to quiver ever so slightly. "H-Hey..." the woman started with a slight stammer. The man kissed a soft trail higher up her inner thighs whilst holding onto her waist, smirking as he felt her weakening further from his kisses. When he bypassed her lower region and kissed the middle of her smooth pantyline, that was when the woman gave in. "Yaga...rī..." Visibly weak at the knees, Reiko was finding it hard to stay on her feet. Her heart was racing as she finally gave in and fell back onto the man's bed, breathing very heavily.

Ice-blue locked with pink as Yagarī raised himself from the floor before hovering over her. His hands came to rest on either side of the woman's head, and she saw that they were clouding over with lust. Moving closer, he captured her pure pastel lips in a gentle kiss. This was different from any other time that they had shared kisses in the past, that's for sure. It was like a low tide rolling in slowly and calmly, yet satisfying to the touch.

—•—•—•—

"Hey. Where's Eye-patch?" Rima Tōya asked. Everybody was present for their class except for the teacher himself. "Is this gonna be another study period, or what?"

Their question was answered when the door opened, and the Headmaster entered the lecture hall. "Good evening, everyone. I'll be covering for Tōga tonight. Now, who wants to tell me where you were at last?" Kaien sometimes substituted for his friend whenever it was necessary, and tonight was necessary. He didn't spend the last few days trying to prod Reiko and Yagarī into talking to each other for nothing.

—•—•—•—

"I wish..." Reiko started to say, but then stopped. They were laying together in the centre of Yagarī's bed, the man having moved them there so that they could be more comfortable. It was there that he held her to him, the embrace alone giving more attention to his region due to the shared body heat. "...I wish...we could do this more often."

Yagarī looked at her. "Do what?" he asked huskily.

"Dance..." Where had that come from? _Really, Reiko? Dance? You've never even done that before in your life, and suddenly you want to dance?_ Yes, that was new. She didn't even know how to dance.

It wasn't new to her teacher, though. He sat up and pulled her up with him gently. Neither of them were quite dressed for the occasion, but it wasn't like they were going to a formal event. They would be staying in the privacy of Yagarī's room. "Wait here a moment," he told her before standing. Curious pink eyes followed him to a corner of his room. There was a stereo she didn't even know he had, black and modest in size. When the play button was pushed, a good-paced waltz came from a pair of attached speakers to fill the room with danceable music.

 _Wow...I would've never guessed Yagarī to be a fan of classical music._ The look of surprise on the woman's face made the man chuckle; he returned to the bed where Reiko sat and offered his hand. Her surprise gave way to a soft smile, and she slipped her hand into his. Up onto her feet she went, her other hand being guided to his shoulder. Yagarī's free hand rested on her waist on her left side.

Leading her to a more open space of his room, he guided her in slow steps that followed the rhythm. Reiko was too embarrassed to admit to not knowing how to dance and looked down to make sure she wasn't stepping on Yagarī's feet. She took note of how he moved his feet and looked up again. He was smirking, having watched her with amusement. "Got it now?" he asked, drawing a blush from the pale woman. She nodded, and they continued to dance to the waltz. Their eyes were no longer full of lust towards each other, but the desires were still there.

The waltz became a slower song, and their pace slowed down. Yagarī's arm snaked around Reiko's back as he pulled her closer to him. His hand rested firmly on her upper back; his other hand held onto hers still.

"When you finish university...what will you do?" he asked above the music. He posed a good question.

"The first thing I'm doing is visiting my hometown to search for my parents." That was a given. She hasn't been across the ocean since before she entered Cross Academy. "After that..." Her words trailed off quietly. The dance came to a slow stop. "...I wish to remain here as the Academy's psychologist."

—•—•—•—

Zero stood outside silently. Where he stood was the same place where that woman had been standing before he pushed her off. Now he looked down towards the ground at where she had landed. _"I forgive you."_ her words echoed through his mind.

"Shut up!" the young man yelled, covering his ears. He took out his Bloody Rose anti-vampire gun and held it in his hand as they remained over his ears. "You're so annoying...smelling like a vampire and even possessing vampire-like abilities without actually being a vampire. I hate being near people like you!" He removed his hands from his ears and pointed his Bloody Rose to his heart. He not only hated being near people like Reiko, he really did hate being in his own skin. Living as a vampire amongst humans was like living as a wolf in sheep's clothing. He was fooling just about everybody else except for himself.

"Zero-kun?" Yūki. She had found him. "Hey, Zero-kun..." The young woman walked over to where he was standing, only for her eyes to go wide at what she saw next. "Zero, what are you doing?" She reached for Bloody Rose and pulled it away from his chest. "We've been over this already!"

"If you're not willing to do it, then just stay away from me." With that, the silver-haired young man returned his anti-vampire gun to his pocket holster and walked off to continue his patrol.

—•—•—•—

What she really wanted to do was try and stay close to Yagarī. That was what Reiko wanted. Being able to stand this close to him and breathe in the soft scent of his musk whenever they laid together or even hooked up, even challenging him with her wittiness was something that she enjoyed. Out of every place she went to, Reiko never really did fit in anywhere else. It was hard for her to fit in with most people as well.

With the Hunter in front of her, showing her how to dance and sharing this time with her in private, she found herself fitting in with him quite well. The woman had found a friend in Yūki and Sayori, yes, but neither of them were able to fill the little hole that the Islander even knew she had within. She never felt that hole of loneliness in Yagarī's presence.

"What's the matter?" the tall man's question broke into her thoughts. By now, the pair had stopped dancing to the music and stood in the middle of the room as the stereo's speakers continued to produce soft classical music. He looked down to find Reiko's shoulders trembling as she tried so hard to not cry. "You won't have to be alone." Pulling her to him, he rubbed her back in smooth circles. Truthfully, he wanted to stay close with her as well. How to word it? Therein lied the difficulty. "You've got me." He stopped rubbing her back and held her to him. "You'll always have me." Then he tipped her face up and back slightly, and landed a soft kiss on her lips.

—•—•—•—

Outside was a tall and skinny figure, dressed entirely in black. A cloak covered them to give away nothing of their features. They lurked in a tree with branches that hung low and held up a pair of binoculars before their eyes. _This is too rich. We'll have her before she can even blink!_ Lowering the binoculars, the unknown figure continued to watch. Then they were returned to the pocket from where they had come.

Out came some sort of communication device. "She has no idea that she's being watched, and neither does that asshole she's with," the person spoke. It became evident that the unknown figure was in fact a young man with a very deep voice. He watched as the woman he was watching continued to go about her activities. "Just say the word, and I'll have her in my clutches. But I want a few moments of her in my arms alone...a few long moments."

Silence greeted the man for a few moments. Then he nodded and vanished from view.

—•—•—•—

Two pairs of feet were facing the same direction, the smaller pair standing in front of the bigger pair. Standing behind Reiko with his arms wrapped around her waist, Yagarī's left hand cupped her right breast in his hand. His right hand slid down from her waist and brushed beneath the bottom of her nightgown, his fingers lightly teasing her panty-covered folds. Reiko leaned back with a soft moan, her knees starting to wobble again. Boy, did he know how to make her weak without much effort.

Meanwhile, his left hand started to massage the breast that it cupped. The mound fit perfectly, as if the two of them were made for each other. Just as Yagarī lowered his head to kiss Reiko's neck, she tilted her head up and back to the left, and they shared an almost sideways kiss. Her left hand came to rest on the side of his face before falling away. With the end of their kiss came the falling away of Yagarī's hands from her.

"Mm...you're soaking wet," he muttered. So, why not revisit what he had been doing earlier? Turning her to face him, he kissed her again with an added passion whilst reaching one hand beneath her nightgown and expertly unhooking her bra. His other hand tugged at her panties and started to lower them down down.

Once both were undone, he broke the kiss to lift her nightgown up and over her head. Then, moving his mouth to one ear, he landed a soft kiss on her earlobe and whispered something to her. _!_ Reiko's eyes went wider than plates in absolute shock.

* * *

Not many things shock Reiko anymore, so what did Yagarī say that had her so shocked? You're free to share your thoughts with your review if you'd like, but until then~? I'll leave you to mull this over some. :3

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 _(None for this chapter.)_


	9. Surprise Me

Disclaimer: Vampire Knight, along with its characters and locations, belong to Matsuri Hino. Reiko Souma, her parents and people of her hometown and prior residence, Shourim Manti, and Schian'tlo (not an actual village on the U.S. Virgin Islands) belong to me.

Notice: Smut. You'll see, unless you're younger than seventeen. Then you need to turn around and head back to the "T" category.

Thank you to all who review! Your reviews are very helpful to me. :)

* * *

 _Once both were undone, he broke the kiss to lift her nightgown up and over her head. Then, moving his mouth to one ear, he landed a soft kiss on her earlobe and whispered something to her._

Continuing to kiss his way downwards, making sure to kiss the most sensitive spots along the way, Yagarī took hold of Reiko's hips. Meanwhile, her hands seemed to work as if they developed a mind of their own at unbuckling his belt. She then undid the button and lowered the zipper to his trousers, and pushed them down. His erection showed through his briefs as his mouth reached her left breast and started the ministrations. His left hand slid up her well-shaped slim body to her right breast and started to massage it again.

 _"Stay with me after you graduate. I want you in my life, all of it," the man had whispered, "we were made for each other."_ That's what had Reiko caught up in such a state of shock. It wasn't simply because she felt so strongly for him, and they were carrying on a mostly secret relationship behind closed doors. Reiko's feelings had started to develop into even stronger feelings of love towards him. It sounded like his feelings reciprocated her own without the use of the word love. No, she knew better than to expect such a thing. She could still sense a bit of past hurt in his life that was being dealt with, things that caused emotional pain that she didn't know everything about.

Straightening himself, he picked her up and carried her over to his bed. He stepped out of his trousers along the way and left them and his shoes in a sloppy pile on the floor before depositing Reiko in the centre of his bed. After removing his shirt and throwing it behind him, he climbed over her and hovered over her, planting his hands on the bed between her so as not to crush her. Then he leaned in and started to kiss her passionately. Her arms wrapping around his neck served as a cue for him to slide himself into her with ease, knowing that she was ready.

When they stopped to breathe, their kiss had ended with a heavy linger. "Reiko..." Yagarī started to say. Here was a woman who has been through years of Hell and back, a woman he didn't have to kill with his bare hands due to being a Level-E. A woman he was increasingly comfortable with challenging and being met with challenges issued to him in return, she's proven to be anything but a dummy. "...the next step..." He didn't have to finish his sentence for her to know what he meant, as her nod showed. Gently pushing his head down, Reiko kissed him just as he started to move slowly. It was this slow pace that they maintained for some time, difficult that it became when the woman's fingers weaved through his shaggy hair.

What exactly was this "next step" that he spoke of? Their wanting to eventually go public with their relationship after she graduates from the Academy was part of it, but would Reiko be able to handle the rest of it? They would find out in due time, Yagarī was sure, which was why he held back from moving any faster. Only time would tell.

Such words didn't need to be spoken for the two of them to know what they felt towards each other. They were falling in love with each other, whether they cared to admit it at all or not. Bodies intertwined as skin met skin, with their moans being music to each other's ears in their love-making. Slow and steady led the way until they reached their climaxes. Yagarī didn't pull out right away, as he was too comfortable. Reiko didn't want him to pull out yet either. Yet he was being so tender to her, more tender than ever before.

 _"I don't see someone who's a heartless bitch."_ Those words had softened his heart towards her over a year ago. Reiko had practically seen right through Yagarī with her insight. He kissed her softly as those words flooded his mind. _"I see someone who cares far more about others than he's willing to admit to."_ He kissed her again, this time turning them over so that she straddled his chest comfortably.

"Did I ever tell you...how amazing you are, Toga?" Reiko asked softly. Giving sensual rubs to his well-toned chest, she breathed into his neck gently. Then she landed a soft kiss to its sensitive spot. Round two was going to end up happening soon enough at the rate they were going. Her hands moved back up to his shoulders and started to rub them softly.

He always enjoyed hearing her say his first name. It was something she only said in private as something sacred. "Did I ever tell you that you're gorgeous, Reiko?"

 _You haven't, but who's paying attention?_ she couldn't help but think. She instead smiled at the returned compliment as her hands worked their way lower. One more lean into his neck for a tender kiss on the other side quickly led to her being spun over onto her back. "That's all right. I wasn't planning on getting any sleep anyways," she teased just as Yagarī sheathed himself inside of the woman beneath him a second time.

—•—•—•—

"You've gathered all of the information that I asked for?" The cloaked male bowed before the speaker. Once again, a pair of pale hands belonging to said speaker hovered around a glowing crystal ball. The hands stopped moving once the voice went quiet.

"That is correct," the bowing figure answered, "behold, the one she holds dear to her." Raising his gloved hands to his forehead, he placed his fingers just outside of the chakra point. The contents of his mind showed in the crystal ball.

So did the current activity. "Ugh. You couldn't pick a better time to show me this?" Disgust showed at this. "Make yourself a student at this Academy, and start playing with her! The last thing I need to see is...is... _this!_ Go!" The cloaked man made haste in hurrying off, leaving the one to rise from his chair. The glow vanished from the crystal ball again, and he walked over to a window. The full moon cast a light glow on the man's face, showing his brown hair and somewhat disfigured face. He scowled as he remembered his previously failed attempt of retrieving the blood he needed to fully resurrect.

Now he had a more personal mission of his own. He had a permanent reminder of what that blasted Vampire Hunter had done to him covering the entire left side of his face. Scars and cuts never fully healed from the gunshot wound to his shoulder and the top of his heart. It was a miracle that he had survived, but no worries. He intended to get revenge against Toga Yagarī and that lover of his, once and for all. Revenge was mainly aimed at that Vampire Hunter, but ripping the woman from his arms would just be part of said revenge.

—•—•—•—

 _You've got to be kidding._ A new student was joining the Day Class. Looking over the list of students, the eyepatch-wearing teacher frowned. Added to the list was a male student by the name of Jade Nintseret, a university freshman. _Since when were students suddenly interested in entering a school in the middle of the term?_ This was as odd as Maria Kurenai transferring into the Night Class just last year. Now there were two to keep a close eye on instead of one.

"We have a new student who will be joining us starting today," Yagarī said once everybody was seated. He stood at the front of the room behind his desk and gestured to the young charcoal-haired man, who stood next to the desk. "Could you introduce yourself, please?" He certainly wasn't going to do so himself.

"Yes, of course. Good morning, everybody. My name is Jade Nintseret, and I've recently moved here from Tokyo." He looked directly in Reiko's direction as he spoke. "I look forward to studying with each of you." When he was finished, he was told to take a seat. Reiko watched warily as Jade walked over in her direction, but then moved back about three rows before finding an empty seat in the middle of the row. She had ignored his staring at her, being more than used to having people stare at her.

The attempted approach didn't escape Yagarī's watchful eye. Caution was mentally exercised during the lecture, of which he locked eyes with Reiko at least once. Pencil in hand, she lightly tapped the surface of her desk three times on purpose. That was her way of telling him that her guard was up. Two more taps, along with her rolling her eyes in Jade's direction, indicated that she was confused about something. How to express this, though? Yagarī looked away without stopping the lecture. Reiko had a plan.

Extra lessons. Setting herself up for this deliberately wasn't like her, but she was going to do so anyways. Thank Fate she could use last night's bedroom activities to justify her tiredness. Yawning silently, she placed her head down before shutting her eyes.

Little did she realise that she would actually end up falling asleep! "Souma-san." Yagarī tried to verbally awaken his student from her sleep. Yes, they were professional in the classroom in order to keep up appearances. Only in private did they drop said professional appearance and take to being more informal with each other. "Souma-san." There really was no waking this woman! What the Hell? "Anyone who falls asleep in my class will be given an extra lesson after school, or fail this class if they make a habit out of this. Don't make me resort to stopping my lectures, ever." Lover or student, Reiko had some explaining to do anytime she was ready to wake up.

She was still fast asleep once class was over. Dammit. Had last night been too much on her? Yagarī waited for the other students to empty out of the room before approaching the desk. He wasn't one to be touchy, especially in front of others, but the woman did need to wake up at some point. "Reiko." His hand gently rubbed her right arm. He kneeled down and landed a soft kiss on top of her head. "Hey, is this deliberate?"

No, it wasn't anymore. It took a few minutes of coaxing before she finally stirred and opened her eyes. Then she sat up and looked around. Yup, they were the only two left in the room. "I only meant to put my head down as a ruse to talk to you about the new student after class...falling asleep wasn't part of it. Now I'm gonna need those notes I missed and take the extra lesson."

"Any longer, and I would've had to take you to the infirmary. You're sure you're all right?" Yes, she was. "I don't like it, nor do I like the way he started to approach you earlier. Is he somebody you know?"

"No, I've never seen him before in my life." Reiko remembered those who played a significant role in her life. Jade wasn't one of them. "He kept on staring at me whilst introducing himself. If that's supposed to mean anything, then I'm going to request permission to carry my Katana with me at all times until further notice."

Who could blame her? There hasn't been danger at this Academy in quite awhile, and the woman wanted to keep it that way. All of the Hunters and Prefects wanted to keep it safe, but would it stay that way for much longer?

* * *

Things finally seem to be coming together, but in whose favour? It looks like things could go either way.

 _Reviews:  
 **Toga Yagari:** You're absolutely correct, as you've just read. It really wouldn't make sense for him to tell her that he loves her after speaking to her erotically, and I've been imagining him needing more time to deal with the loss of his fiance before he's actually able to say those three words. One gold star for you~you know your character better than I do at times (most of the time).  
 **GoldenLombaxGirl:** Definitely something else. :) Though his feelings for her have strengthened since the beginning of this story, there's now potential classmate drama to busy them for a little while...we shall see how. I do a combination of planned writing and "blind writing" (unplanned), and this and the next few chapters are my "blind writing" chapters.  
_


	10. Calm Before the Storm

Disclaimer: Vampire Knight, along with its characters and locations, belong to Matsuri Hino. Reiko Souma, her parents and people of her hometown and prior residence, Shourim Manti, and Schian'tlo (not an actual village on the U.S. Virgin Islands) belong to me.

Thank you to all who review! Your reviews are very helpful to me. :)

* * *

 _There hasn't been danger at this Academy in quite awhile, and the woman wanted to keep it that way. All of the Hunters and Prefects wanted to keep it safe, but would it stay that way for much longer?_

* * *

"Denied."

The Headmaster sat behind his desk with his hands folded on the thick wooden surface beneath them. Reiko had gone straight to Kaien's office after her extra lesson, hoping to be given permission to carry her Katana around with her at all times. She had mentioned the new student and his possibly suggestive behaviour towards her as the main reason. He made her feel that uneasy inside. Alas, the Headmaster's answer was a flat-out no. Or rather, it was denied.

"I don't understand," Reiko said. If Yūki and Zero could carry their respective weapons with them at all times, then why couldn't she? Was it because her Katana was too big to conceal as easily as the other Prefects? _I'm also a Prefect...but admittedly a bit of a liability due to my anemia. Shouldn't my health alone be reason enough for me to have permission to carry something with me at all times?_ Slowly retreating from her thoughts, the female reestablished eye contact with the hundreds year-old man sitting before her. "If a smaller weapon that's like my sword could suffice...one that could fit into my bag, maybe?"

Her options were exhausted otherwise. Kaien understood the concerns, but it was the unconventional size of her Katana that would intimidate the Day Class and raise suspicion. "Perhaps I _do_ have something that's small enough for you to carry. Wait here a moment." Sure, she could do that. It wasn't like she was going too far now. Whatever the Headmaster had in mind should be a good one. Reiko didn't want to be stuck with something that would only endanger her as much as walking around unarmed did.

 _Nothing funny, I hope._ Her thought matched the light cringe on the university student's face as she continued to wait patiently. Then her head turned in the direction of the Headmaster's exclamation. Perhaps he was able to find something after all? Imagine her surprise when he produced not a gun or a staff, but what looked like a mere handle! ". . ." Was he trying to insult her? "What use is a handle going to be?" This had better be a good one!

Perhaps it was, for the glasses-wearing man to be chuckling like he was. _Just like Toga-kun._ Kaien held the handle in his hand. "Do you remember the Artemis Rod that Yūki-chan carries around with her?" The woman nodded. "This weapon is the complement of such, only it does as much damage as Kīryu-kun's Bloody Rose. Allow me." Extending his right arm away from them, Kaien placed his thumb on the only diamond that had been crafted onto the handle. Then he pushed the diamond in, and a blade extended roughly half a metre to his right. "The size of the blade is different and depends on the person who wields it, but it's designed to overpower the Katana that you've been carrying around all this time." He pushed the diamond again, and the blade retreated back within the handle. Reiko was impressed...to a point.

"That means I could end up with a three-inch dagger? That's nice," she said, sarcasm dripping in her voice.

"Such depends on your intent and your heart, Reiko-chan. The more pure your heart is, the longer the blade will be." He handed the handle to her. "I want you to try it out, get accustomed with it." With a nod, the pink-haired Huntress in-training held the handle in her hand. Then she looked it over. There was the diamond, just as silver as the rest of the surprisingly heavy handle. It had to be hundreds of years old, if not older. The blade would only come out of one end, that being to Reiko's left. She was ambidextrous as far as sword-wielding was concerned, so whichever hand she chose to hold the piece in wouldn't make much of a difference to her.

Before she could try it out, however, the door opened behind the woman. "Having a meeting without me?" Yagarī asked. He stopped when he saw Reiko holding something in her hands, looking it over.

"Headmaster-san!" Yūki and Zero followed their teacher inside. "Reiko-chan?"

"Perfect! You're all here." Kaien clasped his hands together with an excited dance in his eyes. He could hardly contain his excitement. "You're right on time to watch Reiko-chan demonstrate her new weapon that she'll be permitted to carry on campus at all times~! It complements and completes the Prefect Triad that's prophesied to lead in preserving the sanctity of peace between humans and vampires." All who were present watched as the little man hopped around behind his desk. Ecstatic hardly began to describe him by a long shot. Eccentric? Now that was more like it.

 _Okā-sama, Otō-sama, I'll protect them for you and bring you to reunite with me as soon as I can...or die trying. Toga, for you...the tough guy who opened my eyes to a world outside of my own little sheltered bubble...my love for you will never die, nor will I ever forget about yours._ With that in mind, Reiko extended her left arm beside her. After making sure that nobody was in her way, she placed her thumb on the diamond and pushed it in, shutting her eyes.

 _Ching!_ The blade extended in one shot. "Reiko-chan..!" But, it wasn't Yūki's awestruck voice that had warranted Reiko opening her eyes. The bright light to her left was, and boy was it bright! She had to squint until it cleared. Everybody, including her, gasped in disbelief.

Extending from her handle was a blade, all right, but it was long! Longer than any sword that she's ever seen in her life. It measured at four feet (about 1.28 metres, or 120 centimetres) and was graced with the outline of a mighty dragon on the shiny blade itself. "Whoa..." It was definitely longer than her Katana! "...how am I gonna be able to carry this in battle? It's _huge!"_

Good question. How _was_ she going to be able to carry it? It was more than half of her height in size, but it wasn't any heavier than her Katana. That was the weird part. Even so, she was going to have to learn how to use it. Maybe she could aim the blade end of the handle at her target and press the diamond in to surprise it? No, that wouldn't always work. It would mean a quick end to their miserable existence, but that wasn't always an option either. She really would have to be trained all over again.

"That's where I come in," Kaien spoke up. He wasn't a legend among Vampire Hunters for nothing. "Your guardian taught you everything that I taught him when he was just a boy. I'm interested in seeing how well you do with me...rest assured that you _will_ be challenged like never before."

 _A challenge..._ Yagarī saw the grin start to take form at the corners of Reiko's mouth. As they lifted, he was sure he had a good idea of what she was thinking. He could've sworn to seeing little glints spark flames of determination. "...I like it. You've got a deal, Kaien-senpai." Rising, Reiko put forth her hand to exchange handshakes with the Headmaster. Eyebrows raised all around as a sign that handshakes weren't exactly popular on this side of the world, but Kaien accommodated it anyways. A single push of the diamond returned the long blade to the handle where it came from to make it a handle once more.

All of this because of the new boy in her class.

—•—•—•—

 _I don't like him._ A scowling Reiko found it difficult to concentrate on her homework that evening. _Damn that Toga for adding to my course load! I didn't plan on falling asleep during his class..._

Nor did she plan on having any company, but the person knocking at her door didn't know that. Really, who could be coming by now? Yūki? She and Zero were supposed to start on their patrol pretty soon. Reiko had, once again, backed out of guarding the gates of the Moon Dormitory. There was no reason for her to bother when that silver-haired Prefect could fend them all off by himself.

 _Sigh._ Time to find out who was at the door. When she rose from her desk and walked over to open the door, she found the new student standing there. "Hey, new guy. You should probably know that the genders aren't allowed to commingle without permission from Headmaster-senpai," Reiko said. Rolling her eyes would have to wait until she was alone again. First, he had stared at her. Then he had faked an approach. Now he was visiting her at her room? "How did you know where to find me, anyways?"

At first, Jade was silent. Then, in a sudden next moment, he gripped the sides of Reiko's face in his hands and kissed her forcefully before letting go. Her eyes widened, then narrowed, as he walked away without a word.

"You fucking bastard! What the Hell is your problem?! Come back here so I can kick your ass!" she shouted, running after the silently strange classmate of hers. Doors opened as curious students poked their heads out to see what was going on. Imagine the surprise when they saw that their normally silent pink-headed classmate was the one shouting.

Remembering that her emotions also affected the weather conditions, the woman was hardly surprised when the weather started to turn nasty. Darkening skies with rumbles of thunder grabbed even Zero's attention as he stepped out of his room. By then, Reiko had chased Jade into the direction of the men's section of the dormitory, and the new student bumped right into the male Prefect. Said Prefect had a glare that looked like it could kill anyone within a five hundred metre radius if it could.

"What the Hell is going on?" Zero asked, irritated.

"Don't let him go, Kiryū-san," Reiko ordered, "not yet, anyways!" She turned to the gawking students. "All of you, back in your rooms! There's nothing for you to see here!" If the sudden storm outside was of any indication to her mood at all, then the Day Class had better listen up. All of them scattered just as Yagarī hurried over from the faculty wing. "This bastard had the audacity to come to my room and make a pass at me when I opened my door! He's lucky I didn't break his face in!"

The Hunter-as-a-teacher scowled. Not only was he scowling because the new student had blatantly violated the rules, he was scowling because his lover had just been kissed by another. No wonder she was so infuriated! He too was infuriated, yet he couldn't voice it out loud. Besides, Reiko was pretty much saying everything that he would have said.

"Go take a walk. Cool your head. I'll be taking him to the Headmaster and expect to see you back there once you've collected yourself. Got it?" His eye flickered with a hidden message of, _I promise not to kill him on the way,_ but Reiko didn't care at the moment. Not a word was spoken as she took off on a run towards the faculty wing. He knew exactly where she was going, and he was quite fine with it. Unbeknownst to them all, Jade had quickly flashed a sly smirk at his small victory.

The victory was short-lived and came to a quick end when he stood before the Headmaster with Yagarī present. "Today's just your first day, so I'll let you off with a warning to stay away from the women's dormitory," Kaien said sternly. Reiko chose that moment to let herself in, where she stood closer to the Headmaster's desk and further away from Jade. Standing where she was gave her the advantage of glaring at him some more, now that she had cooled down some and washed her mouth clean of him. "Souma-san?"

"Hmph." Her arms were folded, her head turned away. "I've got nothing to say."

"That will be all, then." He dismissed the two students, watching as Jade left first. Reiko hung back, scowling. "Reiko-chan?" She dropped her scowl. "You weren't thinking of testing your sword on him, were you?"

Yagarī turned his eye towards the young woman, who in turn folded her arms once more. Hey, even swordsmen's fingers got itchy.

"Let's just say the thought crossed my mind." Letting her arms drop down, she took her leave from the office at last and walked down a different hallway. There she waited in a corner until she saw Yagarī approaching. When he was close enough, Reiko's arms reached out and grabbed at his arms to pull him closer.

"What-?" Standing on her tiptoes, her lips crashed against his to reclaim the kiss that had been stolen from her. It took him a moment to realise this, and he soon laid his hands at her sides as he kissed her back. It was short and ended before anybody could see them. "It's nice to know you haven't forgotten," he told her.

His remark drew a scowl from the woman. "As if I'd ever forget," she retorted, "nobody kisses me but you." Yup, she was riled-up. From one smart ass to another smart ass, it was understandable. Nobody has ever been as froward with their advances as that bastard had been! If it never happened again in this lifetime, then the two of them would be more than pleased.

At that, Reiko couldn't spend too much time with Yagarī tonight. She still had her homework to finish before she could go to sleep in a few hours, and it couldn't do itself. One look around revealed nobody in sight for quite a few feet. That gave the woman the opportunity to keep their distance closed, and she gently hugged Yagarī's waist. "Aw, lady. You really are someone special," he muttered lowly, the side of his face pressed against the top of her head. His arms came around her lightly as he landed a soft kiss to her temple. "Just take it easy these next few days." One hand gave her side a gentle squeeze as he said this.

"I would if a certain someone didn't give me extra work for an accidental nap I took," she gently retorted. Her hands lightly gripped the back of his shirt, then let go. "Extra work that I need to finish." She finally backed out of their embrace. "Goodnight, Toga," were Reiko's parting words with a linger before she returned to her room. She had missed the reason behind his hand squeezing her side completely.

—•—•—•—

"It's as you first anticipated, Master," Jade spoke into a black communication device that was clipped to his left ear. He spoke in a low volume to avoid being heard by anybody else. These rooms had thin walls, after all. His assigned roommate would also be back from the shower at any given moment. "She's incredibly loyal without limit and almost took my head off in the process."

There was silence in the dark room for a moment. He suppressed a sigh as he listened for any additional direction from the one who gave the orders. As the feedback was given, the charcoal-haired man thought back to his first day under this man's duties. Seven years have passed since then, but for what reason?

"...do you understand? Don't be so froward if you wish to keep your head attached to your body." Boy, his boss could be an idiot sometimes.

"Loud and clear, Master. I'll put the brakes on trying to kiss her senseless," came the young man's heavily sarcastic reply. He rolled his eyes. "I'll just act like a complete idiot instead and apologise."

"You do that, you complete idiot." _Click._ So ended that call. Switching his communication device off, Jade removed it from his ear and slid it into his satchel. Then he laid back down and let out the sigh that he'd been suppressing this entire time.

 _I'm not doing this for you, asshole. I'm doing this because she knows where my brother is._

* * *

Eh~? My sincerest apologies for the delay. A lot has happened behind the monitor, but I'm looking at more free time to keep y'all reading. On that note, Jade does have a somewhat interesting way of doing things, yes? He's one of my older characters that I've revamped; now it's up to you to figure out who his brother is!

 _Reviews:  
_ _ **GoldenLombaxGirl:** I hope this chapter holds your interest! :)_


	11. Brewing

Disclaimer: Vampire Knight, along with its characters and locations, belong to Matsuri Hino. Reiko Souma, her parents and people of her hometown and prior residence, Shourim Manti, and Schian'tlo (not an actual village on the U.S. Virgin Islands) belong to me.

Thank you to all who review! Your reviews are very helpful to me. :)

* * *

 _"...do you understand? Don't be so froward if you wish to keep your head attached to your body." Boy, his boss could be an idiot sometimes._

 _"Loud and clear, Master. I'll put the brakes on trying to kiss her senseless," came the young man's heavily sarcastic reply. He rolled his eyes. "I'll just act like a complete idiot instead and apologise."_

 _"You do that, you complete idiot." Click. So ended that call. Switching his communication device off, Jade removed it from his ear and slid it into his satchel. Then he laid back down and let out the sigh that he'd been suppressing this entire time._

 _ **I'm not doing this for you, asshole. I'm doing this because she knows where my brother is.**_

* * *

A nightmare woke Yagarī up from an otherwise peaceful sleep. Damn. Sitting up in his bed, he placed his right hand down on the sheets where Reiko would normally lay whenever she spent the night in his room. Their last night together had been a few days ago, and it had been without sex. No, they didn't have sex every time they slept together. That had been two weeks ago.

His nightmare had comprised of both his ex-fiancé and of Reiko being hung from the gallows. Their bodies, battered and beaten, were barely recognisable as they hung side-by-side. It was one of those kinds of nightmares that sent him running to the private bathroom in his room to vomit. Such was the life of a Vampire Hunter, but one didn't necessarily have to like it. Every purge into the toilet was as a minute of his nightmare being removed from his mind. He was afraid of losing Reiko in the same way that he had lost Annaliesa.

Unbeknownst to Yagarī, Reiko was just waking up at the crack of dawn. She was on her side and peered down to find her hands resting lightly on her stomach. _Well, this is new_. Hands on her stomach, she's never done that before. _Oh well. The weekend awaits._ Having no homework to do was always nice. She always made sure to take care of her assignments on Friday so that she could relax until Monday.

 _"Just take it easy these next few days,"_ Yagarī had told her last week. Heeding his advice wouldn't be an issue. The first thing she planned on doing was bringing him breakfast in bed. Nobody needed to know that she didn't plan on eating alone, let alone who she would be eating with. The key was in making sure that she was discreet.

Now how was she going to carry a cup of coffee, a glass of orange juice, and two plates of eggs, toast, and bacon to Yagarī's room without anybody seeing her? Challenge number one. Kaien had been more than nice enough to let Reiko use his private kitchen to prepare her meals from now on. Granted Shourim had insisted on this, but who would care if she went into town instead? Challenge number two was placing everything onto a tray and carrying said tray without dropping anything.

Zero looked up from where he sat at the table, and it was then that Reiko realised that she was spacing out. "Oh...I'm sorry," she simply said. When he said nothing and looked back down at his food, the woman picked up the tray of prepared food and quietly walked out of the kitchen with it. Slow and steady wins the race, as a western proverb goes, so slow and steady would help Reiko to succeed in carrying the tray to Yagarī's room with everything still on it.

 _Knock, knock._ The woman stood before the closed door with the breakfast for two on the tray. She wasn't sure of whether this would work. They've never done breakfast in bed before, so this could either be the closest thing to a romantic breakfast date or a colossal waste of food and time. She wouldn't be disappointed if Yagarī was to decline; he didn't strike her as a mushy-romantic type.

As the door opened, however, Reiko was surprised to find the man shirtless and with his pants unbuttoned. "Hey," he said hoarsely. His nausea from the nightmare had passed with his countenance lifting upon seeing the woman standing there with that smile on her face.

"Good morning. I thought we could have breakfast together, so I brought enough for the two of us." Holding the tray in her hands as she spoke, her smile didn't waver. Her surprise, on the other hand, held when Yagarī took the tray from her hands and opened the door wider to let her in. It shut after she stepped in, and he placed the tray down on the table next to his bed. Then he approached her again and took hold of her shoulders. _Toga?_ His arms slid down around her waist as he pulled her close to him. "Tog-"

"I almost lost you that night," he said lowly, cutting her off. It was then that Reiko noticed the slight tremor of his body. "For awhile, you didn't wake up. As much as I knew you eventually would..." Yagarī pressed her closer, holding her tighter. Now she knew for sure that he'd had a nightmare. Poor man. "...part of me worried that you wouldn't wake up again." He didn't want to lose his woman, again.

Yes, his woman. "It'll take a lot more than a push and a concussion to kill me," Reiko said. She smiled up at him before kissing his cheek softly. Then she kissed his other cheek and brushed her lips against his. "I'm here now...I'm right here, and I always will be," she told him. Her man. How often were they there for each other at the drop of a hat since making their feelings to each other known last year? How much would they continue to be there for each other?

—•—•—•—

"Reiko-chan?" Yūki asked Jade. Her arms were folded in front of her as she looked at him, puzzled. "No, I haven't seen her since early this morning."

In that moment, Zero stepped between Yūki and Jade. Although he hated the world as much as ever, he had started to gain a little bit of respect for Reiko. It wasn't everyday that someone would chase someone down and threaten to kick their ass for their actions. Besides, he thought the transfer student was a creep. "What do you want with Reiko?" Zero demanded. He wouldn't be surprised if he ended up kicking Jade's ass, himself.

But, the transfer student only had a legitimate purpose today. He had done wrong by making that advance at Reiko, and he wanted to make things right. Even if she did want to kill him. "Just an apology. I was wrong for making that pass at her the other day and...I want to not come off as such a bastard to her." He might have been wrong, but he didn't regret it. He was just disappointed that he wouldn't be stealing another one from her is all.

"Whatever you have to say to her will be in front of us, or in front of the Headmaster. You're not talking to her alone." Defensive much? Those were Kaien's orders, though...at Yagarī's insistence. Zero had been meaning to ask his mentor about that, but he couldn't find the man either. "Plus I haven't seen her since breakfast this morning, so you're shit out of luck." He gave one last stare before adding, "Let's go, Yūki."

Jade wasn't exactly satisfied with what he had been told, but he had to take it. Where could she be that the Prefects didn't know where she was? Wasn't she a Prefect as well? No matter. He would have to take Zero's advice and wait for Reiko to be with somebody else.

That somebody else, he learnt later on, was their Ethics teacher.

It had been a total accident, Jade's timing. He was on his way back to his room when he started to round a corner, only to freeze when he saw Reiko and Yagarī. They were standing closer to each other than the ravenette expected them to. Kissing. Talk about unexpected, but now he knew why Reiko wanted to kill him earlier. Suddenly, the image that Jade and his "master" had seen in the crystal ball made total sense. _So, the two of them are secret lovers._ He smiled at this small seed of knowledge that he had gained. Not that he would share it with that grumpy old bastard!

 _"Get to know her. Just don't let your guard down. She's more dangerous than she looks. Her weapon can turn humans into Level-Es and destroy vampires of all levels. In fact, had it not been for Mr. Hunter putting a bullet into my shoulder that night, I'd be dead instead of having this conversation with you. Dead is what I want them both to be."_ Ever since the discourse had been given to him, Jade has started to become cynical, questioning the real motives of that man. At first, he had been on board. Now he wasn't so sure. How could he possibly bring himself to end the lives of two people who were only doing their jobs, two people who were clearly in love with each other?

Jade couldn't. Plus he had his own mission to carry out. Oh, he would get to know Reiko better. His gut told him that the woman knew about his brother Z. Z was the nickname that he as given to the traitorous bastard. Nobody turns their back on and abandons the family like Z did...but that begged the question of what the man would do once he found his brother. Demand some answers, beat him halfway to death, be overcome with emotion to do anything at all...something would happen. Jade just didn't know what yet.

Ah, but what was he to do now? He was conflicted, unsure of himself at the moment, and wishing that he could go home. No, home was where that bastard had found him. Forget that. This Academy was his home for the next few years or so. It was far better than being anywhere else, at this point.

"What do you think you're doing?" Yagarī's gruff voice cut into Jade's thoughts. Shit. Jade had allowed himself to get so lost that he had been seen by the couple. "Jade, is it?"

The younger of the two men nodded. "Yes, my sincerest apologies. I was hoping to find Souma-san and have a word with her." A peek behind the eyepatch-wearing man, and there was Reiko, leaning against the wall. She looked to be adjusting the top two buttons of her shirt, and she fired a stare in his direction. "Souma-san." Yagarī stepped aside, but remained close and stood between the two. "I apologise for the pass I've made at you. It was uncalled for and completely inappropriate on my behalf."

Reiko raised an eyebrow. "Just don't do it again, or I really will kick your ass up and down the Sun Dormitory," she said, only to receive a Look from Yagarī. Beneath the look was a silent message for her to keep her cool. Only he, the Headmaster, and the Prefects knew of her ability to affect the weather with her emotions. Nobody else needed to find out firsthand and, with that, Reiko sighed softly. "All right...just don't get yourself in trouble anymore. Prefects don't get paid for this." In the opposite direction she went, walking back towards the kitchen. No more surprise hallway kisses, that's for sure.

"Trouble likes to follow you, kid. Stop following it." Yagarī walked in a different direction, back to his bedroom.

A scream from the kitchen caught both pairs of ears five seconds later. Reiko! Legitimately concerned, Jade followed Yagarī. There was Reiko, huddled in a corner with frightened eyes. Both hands covered her face loosely.

"Get back," Yagarī ordered. He put his hands in front of him so that Reiko could see him. "Easy. It's only me. What happened?" The woman pointed a shaky finger in front of her, and Yagarī looked behind him. There was nothing there. "You're having a hallucination, Reiko. Nothing is in front of you except for me, the kitchen, and the new guy...who's going to move along." Taking the hint, Jade left the kitchen just as Yūki, Zero, and Kaien hurried in.

"I-I-I s-saw a..." The woman was truly shaken up, and she was still pointing. "...a-a creature attacking two people in front of me and killing them before attacking me!" She hugged herself and started to rock back and forth whilst in the corner. Tears stained her face. "I-I think...I think I saw my parents...my real parents..."

* * *

Hey all, my sincerest apologies for not posting this sooner. Life has caught up to me with events, so I hope I made up for this with a slightly longer chapter. I hope you enjoyed it! =^.^=


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